Impact of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Neurocognitive Functions in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder with multiple comorbid effects, including neurocognitive decline.Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold standard for treatment of OSA.The present research study evaluated the effect of 6 months of fixed-pressure CPAP therapy on neurocognitive function and psychological status in OSA.Methods: Adults with OSA who adhered to CPAP use were compared to adults with OSA who did not use CPAP.The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) were used to evaluate the neurocognitive and psychological domains.Results: The study included 66 participants, 44 in the CPAP group and 22 in the non-CPAP group.The mean age was 46.45 ± 11.39 years in the CPAP group and 47.72 ± 11.83 years in the non-CPAP group (p = 0.67).Educational status, anthropometric parameters (weight, height, body mass index, and neck circumference), baseline apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypothyroidism were comparable between the two groups.The CPAP group demonstrated a significant improvement in immediate memory scores, visuospatial scores, attention scores, and delayed memory after 6 months.A significant reduction in depression scores was observed only in patients with severe OSA receiving CPAP therapy.Conclusion: Continuous positive airway pressure leads to significant improvement in overall cognitive performance in patients with OSA, particularly in those with severe disease.Improvements in depression are observed mainly in severe OSA, while anxiety symptoms show minimal change.These findings support the role of CPAP not only as a respiratory therapy but also as a neurocognitive and functional intervention in OSA.