New research suggests sleep apnea could cause harm to the brain over time.
In a study published in Neurology researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and their colleagues found evidence linking sleep apnea with neurological changes likely indicative of Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.
Analysis relied on data previously collected as part of a larger, ongoing project, the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), which tracks the health of Latinos. While sleep affects brain health regardless of race or ethnicity, studies have found higher rates of dementia, including that due to Alzheimer’s, and age-related cognitive impairment among members of this population as compared to their white counterparts.
Researchers don’t understand the reasons for Latinos’ elevated risk, but sleep apnea may contribute to it, according to Alberto Ramos, M.D., M.S.P.H., a professor of neurology and research director of the Sleep Disorders Program at the Miller School and the study’s senior and co-first author.
