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Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may contribute to long-term stabilisation of memory in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia
Baumann L, Zalman M, Jänner M, Lipka T, Baumann B, Kujovic M.. Research Square, 2026-08-10
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
Purpose Short-term effects of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been investigated in previous studies. The objective of this cohort study is to explore the long-term effects of OSA treatment on specific cognitive domains in patients with neurocognitive disorders. The significance of OSA treatment with regard to memory loss in common dementias is evaluated and the expected benefit of future larger prospective trials is determined. Methods 126 patients from a neurologic outpatient setting were collected for an observational retrospective study. The patients aged 71 ± 10.6 years showed AD and VaD pathology in the clinical stages subjective cognitive decline, MCI or manifest dementia. They underwent polygraphy in case of a score > = 10 in the Epworth sleepiness scale. This resulted in 3 groups (1) OSA absent (n = 86), (2) OSA present and treatment adherent (n = 13), and (3) OSA present and treatment nonadherent (n = 27). DemTect subscores were used to gather and differentiate cognitive outcomes. The primary cognitive outcome was memory (DemTect, subscores 1 and 5), secondary cognitive outcomes were psychomotor speed, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency (DemTect, subscores 2–4). Secondary function and progression measures were the Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), and Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). Results In linear mixed models, a statistically significant effect of OSA status (absent, adherent, nonadherent) was seen for delayed recall (DemTect subscore 5) after adjustment for age, education, time, and baseline DemTect score (p=.04, mean observation time 2.7 yrs.). Estimated marginal means revealed that the adherent (nonadherent) group recorded 3.8 ± 0.3 (3.3 ± 0.3) words. A trend was observed for verbal fluency (subscore 3) (p=.07). A trend was also revealed for the effect of OSA status on IADL (p=.68), and the memory box of the CDR-SB (p=.57). Conclusion Controlling for baseline differences, treatment of OSA improved delayed recall and may reduce the slope of memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
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APA 7th
Baumann, L., Zalman, M., Jänner, M., Lipka, T., Baumann, B., & Kujovic, M. (2026). Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may contribute to long-term stabilisation of memory in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10502651/v1
Vancouver
Baumann L, Zalman M, Jänner M, Lipka T, Baumann B, Kujovic M. Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may contribute to long-term stabilisation of memory in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. Research Square. 2026. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10502651/v1.
BibTeX
@article{baumann2026-41e84190,
author = {Baumann, L. and Zalman, M. and Jänner, M. and Lipka, T. and Baumann, B. and Kujovic, M.},
title = {{Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may contribute to long-term stabilisation of memory in Alzheimer's and vascular dementia}},
journal = {Research Square},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-10502651/v1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10502651/v1}
}
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Key findings
- Results In linear mixed models, a statistically significant effect of OSA status (absent, adherent, nonadherent) was seen for delayed recall (DemTect subscore 5) after adjustment for age, education, time, and baseline DemTect score (p=.04, mean observation time 2.7 yrs.).
- Estimated marginal means revealed that the adherent (nonadherent) group recorded 3.8 ± 0.3 (3.3 ± 0.3) words.
- A trend was also revealed for the effect of OSA status on IADL (p=.68), and the memory box of the CDR-SB (p=.57).
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants86
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 42 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multicenter collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 26 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 42 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (Research Square) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 86 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 26 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 26 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 42 out of 100. |
| Total | 42 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
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