The influence of Continuous Positive Airways Pressure on memory
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The influence of Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP) therapy on memory consolidation and sleep architecture in adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea syndrome (OSAS).
IRAS ID
259149
Contact name
Lisa Henderson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, days
Research summary
Converging evidence suggests that Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS) has widespread detrimental effects on sleep (Guo et. Al., 2013). Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is widely regarded as the “gold-standard” treatment (Rotenberg et al., 2016) and leads to significant improvements in daily cognitive function, including memory (Sawyer et al., 2011). However, it is unclear whether benefits extend to memory consolidation (i.e., the stabilisation of a memory trace after an initial acquisition), and if so, how any changes in sleep architecture support such benefits. Investigating these questions has important practical implications for the OSAS population, and might also give crucial insights into typical human memory, providing the opportunity to test how sleep fragmentation (and its remediation) affects consolidation.
This study will examine the influence of CPAP on memory consolidation, mood and sleep architecture in adults with OSAS by comparing the sleep and memory of those just starting CPAP therapy with those who have not started their treatment. Fifty participants with moderate OSAS will be recruited through York Teaching Hospital. They will make three visits to the University of York’s Sleep Language and Memory laboratory. During an evening baseline assessment they will fill out a battery of questionnaires and complete 3 short computer-based tasks, following which they will undergo a full night of sleep in which their brain activity will be captured by polysomnography. The following morning their memory will be retested to measure consolidation. On a second occasion, participants will undergo the same procedure but either be tested on the first night of CPAP (treatment group) or before CPAP has begun (control group). Finally, a third session will be completed one month later for the treatment group, to compare performance between their second and third sessions and measure the maintenance of any effects (as associated with adherence).
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0255
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion