Saturday, September 23, 2023
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Medicine & Health

Treating sleep apnea could reduce dementia risk

January 31, 2018
in Medicine & Health
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Credit: Jessica McGaw / Queensland Brain Institute, UQ

Inadequate oxygen levels during sleep can damage the brain and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, University of Queensland researchers have found.

Scientists from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute and School of Biomedical Sciences are now initiating a clinical study of patients with sleep apnoea to determine whether treatment lowers the risk of developing dementia.

Professor Elizabeth Coulson said people who suffered from sleep apnoea that resulted in hypoxia – lower levels of oxygen in the blood – were up to three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease – the most common form of dementia.

The researchers have been investigating the mechanisms by which this occurs, finding that hypoxia leads to the degeneration of an area of the brain important for attention and learning.

Sleep apnoea, which affects more than one million Australian adults, occurs when the upper airways collapse during sleep, leading to intermittent pauses in breathing.

In humans, sleep apnoea is commonly treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilator.

"The next stage of our research involves following patients with sleep apnoea over an extended period of time to determine whether CPAP protects against cognitive decline," Professor Coulson said.

Her team will study patients aged 55 to 75 to determine if CPAP can stop or slow brain degeneration and reduce subsequent dementia risk.

Queensland Brain Institute Director Professor Pankaj Sah said the research could lead to initiating early intervention in patients with sleep apnoea.

"Sleep disturbances can occur up to 10 years prior to Alzheimer's disease," Professor Sah said.

"Considering that Alzheimer's affects roughly one-third of the elderly population, this important research may inform preventative public health measures in the future."

###

More information about the study is available at https://qbi.uq.edu.au/sleep-apnoea-study.

The research was funded by the NHMRC, and the clinical trial will be partially funded by the Mason Foundation.

The Queensland Brain Institute receives funding from the Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, the Federal government, and philanthropic donors including the Clem Jones Foundation.

Media Contact

Donna Lu
communications@qbi.uq.edu.au
61-405-661-856
@uq_news

http://www.uq.edu.au

Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

    1036 shares
    Share 414 Tweet 259
  • New findings on hair loss in men

    67 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Fruit flies offer clues to how brains make reward-based decisions

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • The potential of solar cars in the world

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Wildlife mitigating measures no help for Ottawa’s freshwater turtles

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • ISSCR Kicks off São Paulo International Symposium today in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

Corning® launches Videodrop, revolutionizing real-time nanoparticle detection and analysis

Grant awarded to University of Louisville law professor will fund climate adaptation project

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 208 other subscribers

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In