Damage to the hippocampus in obstructive sleep apnea: a link no longer missing

[摘要] The findings by Owen and colleagues [1] complete a circle of evidence confirming brain injury in the hippocampus in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Before direct examination of the brain in OSA, circumstantial evidence such as cognitive and mood symptoms [2] suggested disrupted higher brain function [3]. Specifically, impaired memory and high levels of depressive symptoms are common in OSA [4–6], and both functions are strongly associated with the hippocampus [7, 8]. Animal models of intermittent hypoxia, one characteristic of OSA, showed neuronal death in the hippocampus [9, 10],...

[学科分类] 生理学