Cognitive and performance impairment is well established in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), having a significant impact on the quality of life and the risk of accidents in these individuals. The severity of the impairment correlates with that of the OSAS, which explains the apparent discrepancy between studies using patients from sleep clinics and population-based studies in terms of the reported frequency and severity of such impairment. Cognitive processing, sustained attention, executive functioning, and memory have all been reported to be impaired in OSAS. However, the causal mechanisms of these deficits have not been entirely clarified, and the relative contribution of intermittent hypoxia and sleep disruption in OSAS is particularly controversial. The potential effect of daytime sleepiness on the performance of these patients on various cognitive tests has yet to be determined, as does that of common comorbidities, such as diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. There is compelling evidence that CPAP treatment can improve performance and cognition, particularly in mild to moderate cases, although further studies on the long-term impact of this type of treatment are still needed.
Sleep apnea; obstructive; Cognition; Executive function; Memory; Continuous positive airway pressure
