Association of Hypoxemia Due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea With White Matter Hyperintensities and Temporal Lobe Changes in Older Adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a leading cause of cognitive decline and functional loss in older adults. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in older adults, can increase cerebrovascular disease risk, and is linked to medial temporal lobe (MTL) degeneration and cognitive impairment. However, the interaction between OSA features and CSVD burden and their combined effect on MTL structure and function are not well understood. This study tested the hypothesis that CSVD burden is a candidate mechanism linking OSA to MTL degeneration and impaired memory in older adults. METHODS: values indicated more severe hypoxemia. RESULTS: = 0.112 [0.014-0.211]). DISCUSSION: These findings identify CSVD as a candidate mechanism linking OSA-related hypoxemia to MTL degeneration and impaired sleep-dependent memory in older adults, specifically implicating hypoxic events during REM sleep.