Attentional, memory and executive specificities in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS): a neuropsychological approach

Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) show cognitive specificities, such as impaired alertness/attention, executive and memory functioning. However, there is no consensus in research about these possible cognitive impairments. These discrepancies between studies could be explained by ; (1) a great diversity in the tasks used, (2) the fact that neuropsychological testing simultaneously recruits several cognitive functions, or (3) the use of different criteria for the diagnosis of OSAS. The main objective of this work was therefore to refine the understanding of the negative consequences of OSAS on the cognitive functioning of adult patients by the mean of attention, executive function, and memory assessments. Twenty OSAS patients (m = 49.05 ; σ = 13.59) and twenty-two good sleeper control (m = 38.18 ; σ = 14.50) underwent a neuropsychological battery test assessing vigilance, sustained attention, selective attention, motor and cognitive inhibition, updating, shifting and working memory. The total sample included 19 women and 23 men. A fair representation of both sexes and age were sought for the realization of this study. We found significant differences between OSAS patients compared to control subjects in the results of some neuropsychological tests (p<.05). Processing speed and attentional processes are the most impaired functions. In general, severe OSAS patients have poorer results than mild OSAS. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that cognitive deficits are indeed present in OSAS patients.