MRI: Multimodal MRI technology is a method that combines various magnetic resonance imaging techniques, providing more comprehensive images and information about human tissues and organs. These different imaging techniques include, but are not limited to:
Structural MRI (sMRI): Provides information about the types of brain tissues, such as gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid.
Functional MRI (fMRI): Dynamically measures the hemodynamic response related to brain neural activity, commonly used to study brain functional activities.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI): Offers information on the structural connections between brain regions, which can be used to study the neural fiber pathways of the brain
Study summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), recognized as a highly prevalent sleep breathing disorder with severe complications, features a complex etiology. Poor understanding of disease pathogenesis limits the overall efficacy of interventions. Studies have found that upregulation of 5-HT7 expression in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) could reduce arousal threshold (ArTH) and induce an inhibitory effect to the respiratory central, which was associated with hypoxic stimulation. Therefore, the investigators speculate that the structural/functional abnormalities of the arousal-respiratory neural circuit, mediated by LH5-HT7, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of OSA. To verify the hypothesis, the investigators will compare the ArTH and the brain network presenting by multimodal MRI in normal individuals, snoring individuals, and OSA patients, to reveal the correlation between arousal dysregulation and the structure/function of LH regions; compare the changes of ArTH and brain network in OSA patients with low ArTH before and after CPAP treatment, to verify the interaction between hypoxia and arousal dysregulation, as well as whether the damaging performance of the arousal-respiratory brain regulation area in OSA patients can be partially reversed by relieving hypoxia. Above all, the joint application B team will further analyze the LH5-HT7 neural mechanism in the pathogenesis of OSA.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
20 Years
Max age
60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Inclusion Criteria:
OSA Patients:
* Age between 20 and 60 years.
* Symptoms of sleep snoring and daytime sleepiness.
* Confirmed diagnosis of OSA following overnight sleep monitoring.
Simple Snorers:
* Age between 20 and 60 years.
* Symptoms of sleep snoring.
* Overnight sleep monitoring indicates not meeting the OSA diagnosis.
Healthy Controls:
* Age between 20 and 60 years.
* No symptoms of sleep snoring.
* Overnight sleep monitoring rules out the diagnosis of OSA.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Presence of severe pulmonary, neurological, or cardiovascular complications.
* History of long-term non-invasive positive pressure ventilation treatment (more than 3 months) or upper airway surgery.
* Sleep-disordered breathing due to special etiologies such as hypothyroidism, acromegaly, vocal cord paralysis, etc.
* Presence of severe mental illness, long-term alcohol abuse, or a history of prolonged use of sedative-hypnotic drugs.
* Central sleep apnea predominant sleep disorders due to various causes.
* Severe craniofacial deformities, myasthenia gravis, or other known myopathic histories.
* Patients with peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes, autoimmune diseases, etc.
* Patients with comorbid insomnia, anxiety, depression, or other types of sleep disorders.
Primary outcome measure(s)
Arousal threshold — Three-month follow-up Calculate the patient's arousal threshold based on PSG results.
Fractional anisotropy — After three months of CPAP treatment, DTI were taken again on OSA patients to calculate the FA values. The fractional anisotropy (FA) value, obtained through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements, was used to compare the brain functions between patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and those without. Additionally, a follow-up was conducted after three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for OSA patients to compare the FA values before and after treatment, thereby clarifying the changes in patients' brain functions.
Connectivity strength — After three months of CPAP treatment, fMRI were taken again on OSA patients to calculate connectivity strength. The investigators conducted functional MRI measurements on patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-OSA volunteers, calculated functional connectivity, and compared the differences in their results. Subsequently, the investigators followed up with the OSA patients who underwent three months of CPAP therapy and compared the functional connectivity of brain regions before and after treatment to clarify changes in patients' brain functions.
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
No. 168 Litang Road, Changping District
Beijing
Beijing Municipality
Recruiting
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This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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