Relationships among the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, sleep disturbance, and cognition in obstructive sleep apnea

Objective This preliminary study aims to investigate the relationships among objective sleep variables, cognitive function, and hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) activation levels in middle- and older-aged adults with/without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods A twenty-four participants (16 males and 8 females; mean age, 58.63±7.61 years) were recruited. The comprehensive attention test (CAT), peripheral blood collection, actigraphy (AG) and nocturnal polysomnography (nPSG) tests were conducted to evaluate cognitive function and the activation of HBP and sleep variables, respectively. Results Total sleep time (TST) on AG was correlated positively with number of errors and mean response time (RT) on CAT. Sleep efficiency (SE) on AG was correlated negatively with number of errors and positively with mean RT, whereas the number of awakenings (NOA) was inversely associated with these variables. TST and SE on nPSG, SE on AG were positively correlated with levels of hexosamine pathway metabolites, whereas wake after sleep onset and sleep latency (SL) on nPSG, SL and NOA on AG were negatively correlated therewith. There was a negative correlation between levels of hexosamine pathway metabolites and number of errors on CAT. Conclusion Sleep variables, cognitive function (i.e., attention), and HBP activation level were significantly correlated in middle-and older-aged OSA participants. Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea; Cognition; Hexosamines