Brain microstructural alterations in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea: a preliminary diffusion tensor imaging study

We applied a neuroimaging analysis to investigate the association between neurocognitive decline and brain structural changes in patients with OSAS. Nineteen male patients with severe OSAS were enrolled. Correlations between sleep-breathing indices and microstructural changes were analyzed. SpO2 was positively correlated with ADC, FA, and white matter volumes in frontal areas, cingulate, anterior cerebellar lobe, and pons. A positive correlation with gray matter volume was identified in the bilateral parahippocampal gyri. Neurocognitive decline also correlated with minimum SpO2 value. Intermittent hypoxia in OSAS may cause microstructural axonal changes. These alterations may underlie executive dysfunction in OSAS.