Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Neurocognitive Function

Declines in various domains of neurocognitive function are observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, and these declines may be reversible with continuous positive airway pressure. However, upon reviewing the literature, a majority of the current studies are limited by small sample sizes and study design constraints. Additional large-scale, randomized clinical trials are needed to explore these relationships as well as to assess the etiology of the neurocognitive decline in obstructive sleep apnea patients and to determine which neurocognitive domain is most affected by obstructive sleep apnea and reversible by continuous positive airway pressure.