Widespread aberrant functional connectivity throughout the whole brain in obstructive sleep apnea

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder linked to cognitive deficits.
• Previous studies suggest abnormal brain functional connectivity (FC) in OSA patients may underlie neurocognitive impairments.
• A characteristic FC pattern as a neuroimaging biomarker for OSA remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate characteristic brain functional connectivity (FC) alterations in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
• To determine if FC patterns can serve as a neuroimaging biomarker for identifying OSA patients.
• To explore the relationship between FC changes and OSA severity.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used for 21 OSA patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs).
• The Automated Anatomical Labeling (AAL) atlas divided the brain into 90 regions for FC calculation.
• Univariate analyses and multivariate pattern analyses (MVPAs) were employed to detect and classify FC differences.

Main Results:

• Univariate analyses found no significant FC alterations.
• MVPA successfully classified OSA patients from HCs with 83.33% accuracy (p = 0.0001).
• Identified FCs were widespread, involving numerous brain regions and networks, with some correlating with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation.

Conclusions:

• Widespread abnormal FC exists in the whole brain of OSA patients.
• This aberrant FC pattern shows potential as a neurological biomarker for OSA.
• Understanding these FC changes is crucial for elucidating OSA's neural mechanisms and cognitive impact.