Reference:
Schramm P, Das N, Schneiderman E, German Z, Hui J, Wilson D, Spence J, Moura P, Chapman S. Snoring Remediation with Oral Appliance Therapy Potentially Reverses Cognitive Impairment: An Intervention Controlled Pilot Study. Geriatrics 2021; 6 (107). DOI: 10.3390/geriatrics6040107
Objectives:
Respiration rate (RR) dynamics entrains brain neural networks. The aim of the study is to evaluate if there are RR differences during periods of stable sleep between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and if/how there will be change with treatment of snoring with oral appliance and a mouth shield.
Conclusion:
Positive Airway Pressure RR-fluctuations were significantly higher in cognitively normal (CN) compared to AD (p,0.001) but not when comparing CN vs MCI (p=0.668). Therapy lowered RRMAX in MCI 9p=0.022) and AD (p<0.001). Some MCI and AD subjects improved executive and memory function after 4 weeks of therapy.
Practical Significance:
The results emphasize the importance of treating sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in individuals with cognitive impairment.