The Physiological Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Alzheimer's Disease
Purpose of Review Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is multifactorial, and it is believed that several factors, including genetic, metabolic, bioenergetics, and environmental factors, have a role in the onset and development of this disease. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has a high prevalence in patients wit...
| Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repository: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10459.1/468996 |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-025-00340-0 https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/468996 http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/468996 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Life Sciences & Biomedicine Obstructive Sleep Apnea Alzheimer’s Disease Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep Fragmentation Cerebrovascular Dysfunction Memory Consolidation |
| Summary: | Purpose of Review Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is multifactorial, and it is believed that several factors, including genetic, metabolic, bioenergetics, and environmental factors, have a role in the onset and development of this disease. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has a high prevalence in patients with AD and is considered a risk factor for the development of AD. Besides, several features, including shared comorbidities, the induction of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration make both pathologies highly interconnected. We reviewed the existing knowledge about the possible OSA-induced brain alterations that can potentially participate in the development and progression of AD. Recent Findings Intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation have been considered as the most important OSA-induced alterations that can trigger dysregulation of multiple pathways at the cerebral tissue. Although both events can act synergistically, here we discussed the possible role of each event in development and progression of AD individually. Intermittent hypoxia has been linked to increased oxidative stress, systemic and neuroinflammation, and consequently cerebrovascular dysfunctionality. On the other hand, sleep fragmentation and deprivation can challenge memory consolidation and the brain clearance. Summary OSA-induced pathophysiological alterations in AD patients can lead to synaptic damage, neurodegeneration and increased AD-related brain pathology that will manifest by progressive cognitive impairment in this disease. |
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