Newswise July 18, 2017People who carry a genetic susceptibility to Alzheimers disease appear to be at greater risk of diminished cognition from sleep-disordered breathing than those without the susceptibility, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

In Greater Cognitive Deficits with Sleep-Disordered Breathing among Individuals with Genetic Susceptibility to Alzheimers Disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, researchers report that study participants carrying the apolipoprotein -4 (APOE-4) allele showed greater cognitive deficits with the various indices of sleep-disordered breathing compared to those without the allele.

APOE is a major cholesterol carrier that supports injury repair in the brain. Other studies have shown that those carrying the alternate form of the gene, 4 allele, are at increased risk of Alzheimers disease. Estimates are that 20 percent of the population carries the 4 allele.

Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings between sleep-disordered breathing and cognition, which may be due to the different tests used, said lead study author Dayna A. Johnson, PhD, MPH, MS, MSW, instructor of medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Johnson and colleagues investigated the association in a diverse sample using several indicators of sleep-disordered breathing and cognition. They also evaluated whether the presence of the APOE-4 allele, which is known to increase risk of Alzheimers disease, influenced the link between sleep-disordered breathing and cognition.

The authors analyzed data from 1,752 participants (average age 68) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) who underwent an in-home polysomnography (sleep) study, completed standardized sleep questions, and a battery of tests to measure their cognition. The authors defined sleep-disordered breathing as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the number of stopped or shallow breaths per hour, as AHI > 15, and sleep apnea syndrome as AHI > 5 (below 5 is normal) plus self-reported sleepiness (based on a standardized scale).

The study found:

The researchers adjusted for race, age, body mass index, education level, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, benzodiazepine use, and depressive symptoms.

Dr. Johnson said that, overall, the effects of the various sleep factors they measured on cognition were small, but in the range previously reported for several other lifestyle and health risk factors for dementia. Screening and treating sleep-disordered breathing, she added, may help reduce a persons risk of dementia, especially if that individual carries APOE-4.

Our study provides further evidence that sleep-disordered breathing negatively affects attention, processing speed and memory, which are robust predictors of cognitive decline, said senior study author Susan Redline, MD, MPH, Peter C. Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Given the lack of effective treatment for Alzheimers disease, our results support the potential for sleep-disordered breathing screening and treatment as part of a strategy to reduce dementia risk.

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which also funded various aspects of the current study.

Contact for Article

Dayna A. Johnson PhD, MPH, MS, MSW

Email: djohnson@research.bwh.harvard.edu

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About the Annals of the American Thoracic Society (AnnalsATS)

The AnnalsATS is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. The journal delivers up-to-date and authoritative coverage of adult and pediatric pulmonary and respiratory sleep medicine and adult critical care. The scope of the journal encompasses content that is applicable to clinical practice, the formative and continuing education of clinical specialists and the advancement of public health. Editor: David Lederer, M.D., M.S., associate professor of medicine and epidemiology and associate division chief for clinical and translational research at Columbia University.

About the American Thoracic Society

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Societys 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The ATS publishes three journals, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology and the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

The ATS will hold its 2018 International Conference, May 18-23, in San Diego, California, where world-renowned experts will share the latest scientific research and clinical advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

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Read more:

Genetic Susceptibility to Alzheimer's May Increase Sleep-Disordered Breathing Cognitive Impairment - Newswise (press release)