Eye-to-Hand Coordination in Obstructive Sleep APNEA Syndrome: a Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sleep Medicine
• Psychomotor Function

Background:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is associated with psychomotor slowdown.
• Previous research identified impairments in cognitive and motor reaction times in OSAS patients.
• The specific impact of OSAS on eye-to-hand coordination (EHC) remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether eye-to-hand coordination (EHC) is compromised in individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS).
• To determine if EHC performance can predict OSAS diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• The Two-Hand Coordination Test was used to measure EHC in 30 OSAS patients and 30 matched healthy controls.
• Analysis focused on speed, accuracy, and coordination aspects of EHC.
• Statistical methods were employed to assess group differences and predictive value of EHC variables.

Main Results:

• OSAS participants demonstrated significantly poorer performance in execution accuracy compared to controls (p ≤ .001).
• Execution accuracy was identified as the sole significant predictor for group belonging (p < .05).

Conclusions:

• Individuals with OSAS exhibit impairments in eye-to-hand coordination (EHC).
• The findings suggest an executive slowdown, particularly in error correction, in OSAS patients.
• This study is the first to explore EHC in OSAS, contributing to understanding the psychomotor deficits associated with the condition.