NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is characterized by recurrent hypoxia durin g sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, abnormalities in sleep architecture and deficits in daytime cognitive abilities. Numerous st udies suggest that persons with SAS display a cognitive impairment pro voked by the intermittent hypoxia produced during apneic episode. Alth ough results are inconclusive, treatment of SAS with continuous positi ve airway pressure (CPAP) appears to ameliorate significantly most of neuropsychological deficits in apneic patients. On the other hand, SAS in children may also cause a slowed neurological development, as well as impairments in cognitive and behavioural functioning, including de creased attention span, intermittent hyperarctivity, poor academic per formance and developmental delay. However, the evidence is confined to a small number of studies.