0088 Cognitive Collapse: How OSA Targets Executive Function and Memory, Validated in Low-Education Cohorts
Abstract Introduction Introduction: Evidence suggests that patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) have an increased risk of cognitive impairment, which is primarily attributed to intermittent hypoxia. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic (MoCA-B) is a tool used to evaluate cognitive impairment in populations with low educational attainment. Objective: To evaluate cognitive function by MoCA-B domain in patients with OSA. Methods Methods: This was a cross-sectional study nested within a cohort, evaluating 36 individuals, 58.1% of whom were women, with a mean age of 53.95 + 11.86 years. Patients diagnosed with OSA were included, and the following measures were collected: age, Body Mass Index (BMI), sex, and ethnicity. The MoCA-B was administered for cognitive assessment. Results Results: The sample showed a predominance of ‘pardo’ (mixed-race) individuals, comprising 18 patients (41.9%). Mean BMI was 30.77 + 8.06. The mean total score on the MoCA-B was 23.64 + 3.78, and 64.3% of the participants scored below 26 points. Breaking down the results, Executive Functions =0.43 + 0.50, with 27.9% correctly completing the alternating trails test. Immediate Recall was not scored, following the MoCA-B protocol. Fluency = 1.45 + 0.63, with 34.9% naming 13 fruits or more. Orientation = 5.72 + 0.79, with 55.8% achieving the maximum score of 6 points. Calculation = 2.76 + 0.95, and 48.8% were able to give change in three different ways. Abstraction = 1.83 + 1.00, with 18.6% correctly identifying the corresponding category. Delayed Recall = 2.48 + 1.47, and only 9.3% achieved free recall of all five words. Visual Perception = 2.66 + 0.61, with 48.8% naming nine to ten objects. Naming = 3.55 + 0.82, and 48.8% named all the animals. For Attention, the activity involving numbers in circles = 0.97 + 0.49, with 58.1% committing none or only one error. The naming of numbers in circles and squares presented a mean score of 1.91 + 0.30, and 23.3% made two errors or less. Conclusion Conclusion: Thus, a high proportion of the analyzed patients exhibited cognitive impairment as determined by the MoCA-B, with the domains showing the poorest performance being: Executive Function, Verbal Fluency, Abstraction, and Delayed Recall. Support (if any) None
Authors
- Nathalia Lemos
- Lorenzo Cirri
- Laís Mota
- Cristina Salles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8514-7631)
- Gabriela Brito
- Paula Alana Morais Seixas
Institutions
- Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (BR)
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Thomas Foundation (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- SLEEP
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsag091.0088
- Primary Topic
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00