Oxygen can boost gray matter concentration, study suggests
People who suffer from severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) tend to show gray matter concentration deficits in the brain, scientists have revealed.
According to new research carried out by scientists at the University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, this link between decreased gray matter concentrations in a number of brain areas and OSA is particularly apparent among newly-diagnosed male patients.
As such, the study suggests that making use of home oxygen supplies – with oxygen masks having long been used to treat sleep apnoea patients – could help boost gray matter concentration in the prefrontal cortices, the limbic structures and the cerebellum.
Writing the findings up in the journal Sleep, lead researcher Dr Seung Bong Hong explained: "Poor sleep quality and progressive brain damage induced by OSA could be responsible for poor memory, emotional problems, decreased cognitive functioning and increased cardiovascular disturbances."
However, the team added that more research needs to be carried out to ascertain whether gray matter concentration loss happens due solely to sleep apnoea or if pre-existing conditions contribute to the development of the disorder.
It is currently estimated that around 6.5 per cent of Americans suffer from some degree of sleep apnoea.
Posted by James Worrall
11/02/2010 14:58:52
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