Sleep, Heart and Brain (SHEBA) study

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) affects up to one in five Australians. It is caused by repetitive collapse of the airway during sleep, causing dramatic drops in blood oxygen levels and sleep disruption. OSA is associated with cognitive impairment, brain shrinkage, and higher levels of a neurotoxic protein associated with dementia, beta-amyloid, compared to healthy individuals. Another common condition, hypertension, affects one third of adult Australians. It commonly occurs with OSA. Both conditions, if left untreated, can significantly impact brain health and impair cognitive functioning. The impact of comorbid risk factors on the brain in OSA patients has not been fully examined. This project will explore whether OSA increases cognitive impairment in those with untreated hypertension, compared to OSA patients without hypertension. OSA patients with and without hypertension will undergo cognitive testing to determine if there are poor brain and cognitive outcomes in those with vascular risk factors. Early identification of brain biomarkers of neurodegeneration in patients with OSA and hypertension will help to optimise treatment before it progresses to dementia.