Interaction between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Shortened Telomere Length on Brain White Matter Abnormality

The association between small vessel disease and obstructive sleep apnea: a peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity-based study

PURPOSE

Peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) is a novel marker of small vessel disease in the brain. This study aimed to investigate the association between small vessel disease and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using PSMD.

METHODS

We enrolled patients with OSA and age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and performed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using a 3-tesla MRI scanner in them. We calculated the PSMD based on DTI in several steps, including preprocessing, skeletonization, application of a custom mask, and histogram analysis using the FSL program. We compared the PSMD between patients with OSA and healthy controls and investigated the correlation between PSMD and clinical factors.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine patients with OSA (apnea-hypopnea index > 5; mean = 20.5) and 48 healthy controls were enrolled. The PSMD was significantly higher in patients with OSA than that in the healthy controls (2.521 vs. 2.320 × 10- 4 mm2/s, p = 0.013). In addition, PSMD positively correlated with age (r = 0.512, p < 0.001) and body mass index (r = 0.472, p = 0.002). However, PSMD was not associated with polysomnographic measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean PSMD is higher in patients with OSA than that in healthy controls, indicating a white matter injury due to small-vessel disease in patients with OSA. Our study highlights the importance of actively diagnosing and treating OSA. In addition, PSMD can be used to determine the relationship between sleep disorders and small vessel disease.

Correlation between obstructive sleep apnea and cerebral small vessel disease: a mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is causally associated with an increased risk of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) remains controversial. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to clarify the causal relationship between OSA and CSVD risk.

METHODS

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with OSA at the genome-wide significance level (P < 5 × 10- 8) in the FinnGen consortium were selected as instrumental variables. Summary-level data for white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunar infarctions (LIs), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) were obtained from three meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was selected for the major analysis. Weighted-median, MR-Egger, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO), and leave-one-out analysis methods were implemented for the sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

Genetically predicted OSA was not associated with LIs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86-1.40), WMHs (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.83-1.07), FA (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.75-2.33), MD (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.58-1.47), CMBs (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.86-1.94), mixed CMBs (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.63-2.17), and lobar CMBs (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.75-1.76) in IVW method. The results of the sensitivity analyses were generally consistent with the major analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

This MR study does not support causal associations between OSA and the risk of CSVD in individuals of European ancestry. These findings need to be further validated in randomized controlled trials, larger cohort studies, and MR studies based on larger GWASs.

Genetic Variants of the TERT Gene and Telomere Length in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a worldwide breathing disorder that has been diagnosed globally in almost 1 billion individuals aged 30−69 years. It is characterized by repeated upper airway collapses during sleep. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is involved in the prevention of telomere shortening. This prospective, observational study aimed to investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TERT and the severity of OSA, taking into account hypertension and diabetes prevalence. Methods: A total of 149 patients with OSA were diagnosed using one-night video-polysomnography based on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines. The TERT SNPs and telomere length (TL) were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Statistical analysis showed that there is no relationship between the rs2853669 and rs2736100 polymorphisms of TERT, and the severity of OSA (p > 0.05). Moreover, no relationship between TL and the severity of OSA was observed. The G allele in the locus of rs2736100 TERT was associated with hypertension prevalence and was more prevalent in hypertensives patients (46.00% vs. 24.49%, p = 0.011). The prevalence of hypertension was higher in patients with the C allele in the locus of rs2853669 than in patients without this allele (50.79% vs. 30.23%, p = 0.010). Moreover, a lower prevalence of diabetes was observed in homozygotes of rs2736100 TERT than in heterozygotes (5.63% vs. 15.38%, p = 0.039). Conclusion: This study showed no relationship between OSA and TERT SNPs. However, SNPs of the TERT gene (rs2736100 and rs2853669) were found to affect arterial hypertension and diabetes prevalence.

Prevalence of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension and Development of Arterial Stiffness, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, and Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions: The KoGES (Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study)

Background Apart from nondippers' impact on cardiovascular events, the prevalence of isolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) and its consequences on both the heart and brain were not clearly investigated in the general population. Methods and Results The participants underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring evaluations for arterial stiffness, echocardiography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. They were grouped into normotension, INH, and overt diurnal hypertension, based on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and history of antihypertensive treatment. White matter hyperintensity, arterial stiffness, and echocardiographic parameters were compared. Of the 1734 participants, there were 475 (27.4%) subjects with normotension, 314 with INH (18.1%), and 945 with overt diurnal hypertension (54.5%). Prevalence of INH was not different between sex or age. Of INH, 71.3% (n=224) was caused by elevated diastolic blood pressure. After multivariable adjustment, INH showed higher pulse wave velocity (P<0.001) and central systolic blood pressure (P<0.001), left ventricular mass index (P=0.026), and worse left ventricular diastolic function (early diastolic mitral annular velocity) (P<0.001) than normotension. Mean white matter hyperintensity scores of INH were not different from normotension (P=0.321), but the odds for white matter hyperintensity presence were higher in INH than normotension (odds ratio, 1.504 [95% CI, 1.097-2.062]; P=0.011). Conclusions INH was common in the general population and associated with increased arterial stiffness, left ventricular hypertrophy, and diastolic dysfunction. White matter hyperintensity was more likely to be present in the INH group than in the normotension group. The use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be encouraged to identify masked INH and prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular events.

The multisystemic effects of oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: A narrative review

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition accompanied by repeated obstruction of the upper airway during sleep despite respiratory efforts, resulting in intermittent hypoxemia, altered sleep structure, and sympathetic activation. Previous studies have shown a significant association between OSA and general health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, neurocognitive function decline, and poor quality of life. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been considered as the first line treatment for OSA. However, accumulating evidence supports the role of oral appliance (OA) therapy, including mandibular advancement devices, as an alternative option for snoring and OSA patients who do not comply with or refuse CPAP usage. Despite a generally favorable outcome of OA therapy for OSA related respiratory indices, studies focusing on the impact of systemic effects of OA therapy in OSA patients are relatively scarce compared with the extensive literature focusing on the systemic effects of CPAP. Therefore, this article aimed to provide an overview of the current evidence regarding the multisystemic effects of OA therapy for OSA.

Telomere length and brain aging: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The current evidence on the association of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with age-related structural and cognitive changes in the brain is mixed. Herein conforming to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis using data from 27 observational studies in non-demented individuals. We used effect size and p-value based meta-analysis methods considering marked heterogeneity among studies. We found that the longer LTL was associated with higher brain volume (β = 0.43, 95%CI: 0.36-0.50%, p = 0.008, N = 1102) and with higher global cognition (β = 0.01; 95%CI: 0.00-0.02, p = 0.03, N = 19609) by effect size based meta-analysis and with brain volume, hippocampal volume, global cognition, cognitive domains of attention/speed as well as executive functions by p-value based meta-analysis. No significant association of LTL with brain white matter hyperintensities was detected. Furthermore, the evidence strongly suggests a subgroup-specific canonical effect of telomeres, notably in older individuals and females. In conclusion, we provide meta-analytic evidence on the beneficial effect of telomeres on brain structure as well as cognition and advocate for a beneficial subgroup-specific effect that warrants further attention.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea as an Acceleration Trigger of Cellular Senescence Processes through Telomere Shortening

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is chronic disorder which is characterized by recurrent pauses of breathing during sleep which leads to hypoxia and its two main pathological sequelae: oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Both are also associated with cellular senescence. As OSA patients present with higher prevalence of age-related disorders, such as atrial hypertension or diabetes mellitus type 2, a relationship between OSA and accelerated aging is observable. Furthermore, it has been established that these OSA are associated with telomere shortening. This process in OSA is likely caused by increased oxidative DNA damage due to increased reactive oxygen species levels, DNA repair disruptions, hypoxia, chronic inflammation, and circadian clock disturbances. The aim of the review is to summarize study outcomes on changes in leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in OSA patients and describe possible molecular mechanisms which connect cellular senescence and the pathophysiology of OSA. The majority of OSA patients are characterized by LTL attrition due to oxidative stress, hypoxia and inflammation, which make a kind of positive feedback loop, and circadian clock disturbance.

Epigenetics of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a systematic review

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic and widely prevalent disease, associated with multiple health disorders. Current diagnostic strategies for OSA are limited due to cost, time, and access. Epigenetic signatures offer insight into the relationships between disease and environment and could play a significant role in developing both diagnostic and therapeutic tools for OSA. In the current study, a systematic literature search was conducted to investigate the existing evidence of OSA-associated epigenetic modifications.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed using electronic academic databases including PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, EBM Reviews, and Web of Science. However, the current study focused on screening for original, English language articles pertaining to OSA and associated epigenetic mechanisms. To produce unbiased results, screening was performed independently by authors.

RESULTS

We identified 2,944 publications in our systematic search. Among them, 65 research articles were related to OSA-associated differential gene expression, genetic variation, and epigenetic modifications. Although these 65 articles were considered for full manuscript review, only twelve articles met the criteria of OSA-associated epigenetic modifications in humans and animal models. Human subjects with OSA had unique epigenetic changes compared to healthy controls, and, interestingly, epigenetic signatures were commonly identified in genes associated with metabolic and inflammatory pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the available studies are limited, this research provides novel insights for development of epigenetic markers for the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. Thorough genome wide investigations will be required to develop cost-effective, robust biomarkers for the identification of OSA among children and adults. Here, we offer a study design for such efforts.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea-hypopnea Syndrome as a Novel Potential Risk for Aging

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common sleep disorder, negatively influencing individuals' quality of life and socioeconomic burden. In recent years, OSAHS has been reported in not only constituting an aging-associated disease, but also in accelerating and/or potentiating aging mechanisms. However, the negative impacts of OSAHS on aging are underestimated because of low level of public awareness about this disease and high rates of undiagnosed cases, which are more critical in developing countries or economically disadvantaged regions. Hence, reviewing previously reported observations may assist scholars to better indicate that OSAHS is likely a novel potential risk for aging. Further understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of OSAHS and its role in procession of aging may markedly highlight the importance of this common sleep disorder.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Brain: a Focus on Gray and White Matter Structure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Obstructive sleep apnea is extremely prevalent in the elderly and may precipitate dementia. We review recent advances on gray and white matter structure in obstructive sleep apnea, the impact of treatment, and potential pathological and neurodegenerative processes underlying brain structural changes.

RECENT FINDINGS

Two opposite patterns are observed in neuroimaging studies of obstructive sleep apnea. One may indicate cellular damage (gray matter atrophy, higher white matter hyperintensity burden, lower white matter fractional anisotropy, higher water diffusivities), while the other (gray matter hypertrophy, restricted white matter diffusivities) may reflect transitory responses, such as intracellular edema, reactive gliosis or compensatory structural changes. Treating obstructive sleep apnea could partly reverse these structural changes. Structural alterations related to obstructive sleep apnea may follow a multi-determined biphasic pattern depending on numerous factors (e.g. severity, symptomatology, age) that could tip the scale toward neurodegeneration and need to be investigated by longitudinal studies.

Impact of obstructive sleep apnea on silent cerebral small vessel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a well-known cause of vascular dementia, a leading medical morbidity in the aging population. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been validated as a cardiovascular risk factor. However, the relationship between these two clinical syndromes is not well established. We aimed to assess the association between OSA and CSVD.

METHODS

Databases were searched from inception through May 2019. Studies that reported incidence or odd ratios of CSVD in patients with OSA were included. Effect estimates from the individual studies were extracted and combined using random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird.

RESULTS

A total of 14 observational studies comprising of 4335 patients were included into the analysis. Compared to patients without OSA, patients with OSA were significantly associated with CSVD magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and asymptomatic lacunar infarction (ALI) with a pooled OR of 2.31 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-3.66, I² = 79%) and 1.78 (95% CI, 1.06-3.01, I² = 41%), respectively. However, there was no significant association between OSA and findings of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 2.15 (95% CI, 0.64-7.29, I² = 55%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrated the association between OSA and CSVD MRI findings of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and asymptomatic lacunar infarction (ALI) when compared to patients without OSA. The absence of an association of CMBs findings with OSA could be due either by a lower sensitivity of neuroimaging techniques utilized to detect CMBs or a potentially different pathogenesis of CMBs.

Association of obstructive sleep apnea and cerebral small vessel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Study Objectives

The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the presence of various neuroimaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane library (from inception to May 2019) for studies evaluating the association between OSA and CSVD, which included white matter hyperintensities (WMH), silent brain infarction (SBI), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), and perivascular spaces (PVS). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were estimated using random-effects meta-analysis.

Results

After screening 7290 publications, 20 studies were finally included involving 6036 subjects. The sample size ranged from 27 to 1763 (median 158, interquartile range: 67–393). The meta-analysis showed that moderate to severe OSA was positively associated with WMH (13 studies, n = 4412, OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.53 to 3.25, I2 = 80.3%) and SBI (12 studies, n = 3353, OR 1.54, 95% CI = 1.06 to 2.23, I2 = 52%). There was no association with CMBs (three studies, n = 342, OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 0.61 to 7.73, I2 = 60.2%) or PVS (two studies, n = 267, OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 0.28 to 8.57, I2 = 69.5%). There was no relationship between mild OSA and CSVD.

Conclusion

Current evidence suggests that moderate to severe sleep apnea is positively related to WMH and SBI, but not CMBs or PVS, which suggests that OSA may contribute to the pathogenesis of CSVD. Further large cohort studies should be prioritized to confirm the findings.

Obstructive sleep apnea and cerebral white matter change: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause sleep fragmentation and intermittent hypoxemia, which are linked to oxidative stress. White matter changes (WMCs) representing cerebrovascular burden and are at risk factor for oxidative ischemic injury. The current study explores the mutual relationships between OSA and WMCs. We performed a systematic review of electronic databases for clinical studies investigating OSA and WMCs. Random-effects models were used for pooled estimates calculation. A total of 22 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results revealed a significantly higher prevalence rate of WMCs [odds ratio (OR) 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52-2.80, p < 0.001] and significantly higher severity of WMCs (Hedges' g = 0.23, 95% CI 0.06-0.40, p = 0.009) in the patients with OSA than in controls. Furthermore, the results revealed a significantly higher apnea-hypopnea index (Hedges' g = 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.78, p < 0.001) and significantly higher prevalence rate of moderate-to-severe OSA (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.44-5.66, p = 0.003) in the patients with WMCs than in controls, however there was no significant difference in the prevalence rate of mild OSA between the patients with WMCs and controls (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.20-2.54, p = 0.603). OSA was associated with a higher prevalence and more severe WMCs, and the patients with WMCs had an increased association with moderate-to-severe OSA. Future large-scale randomized controlled trials with a longitudinal design are essential to further evaluate treatment in patients with OSA.

The effect of the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on telomere length

Aging is associated with an increase in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) as well as the shortening of telomeres. It is known that OSAS-related factors are stimuli that can contribute to the acceleration of cellular senescence. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the leukocyte telomere length (LTL) between OSAS patients and controls, as well as to verify the correlation between LTL and sleep parameters. We used DNA extracted of 928 individuals from EPISONO to measure the LTL by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All individuals were subjected to one full-night polysomnography. LTL was significantly shorter in OSAS patients compared to controls. The results showed negative correlations between LTL and the following variables: apnea-hypopnea index, respiratory disturbance index, desaturation index and wake after sleep onset. LTL was positively correlated with sleep efficiency, total sleep time, basal, minimum and maximum oxygen saturation. Lastly, it was observed that OSAS severity was associated with shorter LTL even after adjusting for sex, age, years of schooling, body mass index, diabetes, stroke and heart attack. In conclusion, our study indicates the presence of an association between LTL and OSAS and a significant impact of severity of OSAS in telomeres shortening.

The association between obstructive sleep apnea and shortened telomere length: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to provide a more precise estimate of the relationship between telomere length and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by systematically reviewing evidence.

METHOD

We conducted a systematic electronic search in the databases of the PUBMED, PsycINFO, OVID (Medline), EMBASE and other resources (such as Google Scholar). The methodological quality of the articles was assessed according to the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity was assessed using the chi-square test for Cochrane's Q statistic and I-squared. When heterogeneity was found to be reasonably high between studies, the random-effects model with the mean difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) was conducted using RevMan 5 software by using the inverse variance method (P < 0.05; chi-square test). By contrast, the fixed-effects model was carried out.

RESULTS

Eight eligible studies involving 2639 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Shortened telomere length was significantly associated with OSA with mean difference of -0.03 (95% CI: -0.06, -0.00; P = 0.003 with I-square of 85%）. The results of subgroup analysis preformed by age and sample number suggested that shorter telomere length was significantly associated with OSA, with mean difference of -0.07 (95% CI: -0.07, -0.01; P = 0.005) for adult group and -0.04 (95% CI: -0.02, -0.06; P = 0.005) for large-sample studies.

CONCLUSION

Compared to healthy people, individuals with OSA have shorter telomere lengths which implicates early intervention and timely treatment for preventing future adverse outcomes.