1163 Associations of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness with Domain-Specific Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Introduction Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom in older adults with disturbed sleep and sleep disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Research has identified EDS as an early risk factor for cognitive decline. However, little research has demonstrated EDS associations with specific cognitive domains. We examined the relationship between EDS and cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults. Methods This cohort included 261 community-dwelling cognitively normal older adults pulled from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine studies on sleep, aging, and memory. EDS was characterized by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and cognitive performance was measured using neuropsychological tasks assessing episodic memory and verbal fluency, among other cognitive domains. Multivariable linear regression models were run, controlling for age, gender, race, education, and blood pressure. Results On average, participants were 68.1 ± 6.23 years of age, 51% female, 53.7% Black/African American, and had 16.02 ± 2.67 years of education. ESS had a significant effect on performance in the episodic memory; [verbatim and paraphrase] β[ESS]=-0.15,[-0.31,-0.0005], p=0.049; β[ESS]=-0.15,[-0.30,-0.0008], p=0.049, and category fluency domains; β[ESS]=-0.16,[-0.31,-0.02], p=0.026. Conclusion In this community-based cohort of cognitively normal older adults, higher levels of excessive daytime sleepiness were associated with poorer performance in episodic memory and verbal fluency. These findings suggest that EDS may reflect early vulnerability in specific cognitive domains and highlight the importance of assessing daytime sleepiness as a potential marker of cognitive risk in aging populations. Support (if any)