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Obstructive sleep apnea and longitudinal Alzheimer's disease biomarker changes
Omonigho M Bubu1,2,3,4, Elizabeth Pirraglia2, Andreia G Andrade2
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Sleep
|February 23, 2019
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to faster progression of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in cognitively normal and impaired elderly individuals. Further research is needed to determine if treating OSA can slow cognitive decline.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition associated with various health issues.
- Biomarkers such as amyloid PET and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Aβ42, T-tau, and P-tau are crucial for understanding Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression.
- Longitudinal studies are essential for tracking changes in these biomarkers over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of self-reported obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on longitudinal changes in brain amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers.
- To compare these changes in cognitively normal (NL), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) elderly populations.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database.
- Inclusion of 516 NL, 798 MCI, and 325 AD participants with a mean follow-up of 2.52 years.
- Analysis of annual changes in brain amyloid burden (florbetapir PET, CSF Aβ42) and tau pathology (CSF T-tau, P-tau) using multilevel mixed effects linear regression models.
Main Results:
- In NL and MCI groups, participants with OSA showed a faster annual increase in amyloid PET uptake and a decrease in CSF Aβ42 levels compared to those without OSA.
- OSA+ individuals in NL and MCI groups also exhibited increased annual levels of CSF T-tau and P-tau compared to OSA- participants.
- No significant differences in biomarker changes over time were observed in the AD group based on OSA status.
Conclusions:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with accelerated changes in key Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in cognitively normal and mildly impaired elderly individuals.
- These findings suggest a potential link between OSA and the pathological processes underlying AD.
- Clinical interventions targeting OSA in NL and MCI populations warrant investigation to assess their efficacy in mitigating AD progression.