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Executive Functions in Persons with Sleep Apnea

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Abstract

Seventeen patients with sleep apnea syndrome [SAS, Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) = 12−85] were compared with 16 normal controls (RDI < 7) on neuropsychological tests of executive functions, a domain in which SAS patients have been suggested to have deficits. SAS patients demonstrated greater deficits in the retrieval of information from semantic memory (Controlled Oral Word Association task) and in shifting responses in the face of error (Wisconsin Card Sort Test), but differences in working memory were not observed. Eliciting deficits in cognitive executive functions in SAS may require more sensitive measures than are typically used in neuropsychiatric research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

    Michelle M. Lee M.A. & Milton E. Strauss Ph.D.

  2. Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

    Nancy Adams Ph.D. & Susan Redline M.D., M.P.H.

  3. Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

    Milton E. Strauss Ph.D., Nancy Adams Ph.D. & Susan Redline M.D., M.P.H.

  4. Cleveland VAMC, Cleveland, Ohio

    Susan Redline M.D., M.P.H.

  5. Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44106-7123

    Michelle M. Lee M.A.

Authors
  1. Michelle M. Lee M.A.
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  2. Milton E. Strauss Ph.D.
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  3. Nancy Adams Ph.D.
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  4. Susan Redline M.D., M.P.H.
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Additional information

Supported by NIH NHLBI SCOR HL 42215 and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Lee, M.M., Strauss, M.E., Adams, N. et al. Executive Functions in Persons with Sleep Apnea. Sleep Breath 3, 13–16 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-999-0013-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-999-0013-8

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