Benkirane Oumaïma, Mairesse Olivier, Peigneux Philippe
UR2NF-Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit, at CRCN-Centre for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences and UNI-ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
BBCO-Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Clocks Sleep. 2024 Dec 23;6(4):789-816. doi: 10.3390/clockssleep6040051.
Continued solicitation of cognitive resources eventually leads to cognitive fatigue (CF), i.e., a decrease in cognitive efficiency that develops during sustained cognitive demands in conditions of constrained processing time, independently of sleepiness. The expression of CF and its impact on cognition are partly contingent upon prior sleep quality and its restorative effects. Sleep in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be largely restored through the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, contributing to a gradual improvement in sleep quality. In this longitudinal observational study, we investigated immediate and longer-term behavioral effects of CPAP treatment on cognitive functioning, evaluating outcomes after the initiation of treatment, and at three and six months, in compliant CPAP-treated OSA patients. Results indicate that CPAP therapy significantly enhances subjective sleep quality and cognitive functions, including episodic memory, inhibition, sustained attention, working memory, and executive control. Noticeable performance improvements were observed in CF-inducing tasks, particularly after six months of CPAP use. Participants also reported substantial gains in quality of life, reduced daytime sleepiness, and improved mood. These results confirm that CPAP therapy not only alleviates immediate physiological disturbances associated with OSA, but also supports cognitive recovery and enhanced overall daily functioning.
持续索取认知资源最终会导致认知疲劳（CF），即，在处理时间受限的情况下，持续的认知需求过程中出现的认知效率下降，与困倦无关。认知疲劳的表现及其对认知的影响部分取决于先前的睡眠质量及其恢复效果。阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）患者的睡眠可通过使用持续气道正压通气（CPAP）治疗在很大程度上得到恢复，这有助于睡眠质量的逐步改善。在这项纵向观察研究中，我们调查了CPAP治疗对认知功能的即时和长期行为影响，评估了开始治疗后以及治疗三个月和六个月时，依从CPAP治疗的OSA患者的结果。结果表明，CPAP治疗可显著提高主观睡眠质量和认知功能，包括情景记忆、抑制、持续注意力、工作记忆和执行控制。在诱发认知疲劳的任务中观察到明显的性能改善，尤其是在使用CPAP六个月后。参与者还报告生活质量大幅提高、白天嗜睡减少和情绪改善。这些结果证实，CPAP治疗不仅能缓解与OSA相关的即时生理紊乱，还能支持认知恢复并增强整体日常功能。
