Obstructive Sleep Apnea (Osa) Accelerates Cerebral Pathology In Spontaneously Hypertensive Stroke Prone Rat (Shrsp)

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and its pathological changes in small vessels in brain, is responsible for lacunar infarcts, white matter lesions, hemorrhages, microbleeds, and cognitive impairment. Although it has been suggested that OSA has a role in CSVD, there are no controlled studies relating OSA to CSVD and it pathological consequences. We tested the hypothesis that OSA in SHRsp rats, a model for CSVD, accelerates the development of associated brain pathologies. Chronic intermittent airway obstructions (termed OSA, 10 sec in duration, 60/hr, during 8 hr of the sleep cycle) were induced by remotely inflating balloons implanted in the tracheas of SHRsp and their parent strain, Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Studies were conducted at 12 and 20 weeks of age after being subjected to 14 days of OSA. Sham rats had balloons implanted but without inflations to occlude the airway. Systolic blood pressure was significantly increased in SHRsp with OSA by 58 ± 15 and 32 ± 7 mm Hg at 12 and 20 weeks respectively ...