The APOE ε4 allele increases the risk of impaired spatial working memory in obstructive sleep apnea

Cosentino, Filomena I.I.; Bosco, Paolo; Drago, Valeria; Prestianni, Giuseppina; Lanuzza, Bartolo; Iero, Ivan; Tripodi, Mariangela; Spada, Rosario S.; Toscano, Giuseppe; Caraci, Filippo; Ferri, Raffaele

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2007.10.015

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Volume 9, Issue 8 , Pages 831-839, December 2008

The APOE ε4 allele increases the risk of impaired spatial working memory in obstructive sleep apnea

Filomena I.I. Cosentino
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
- These authors contributed equally to this article.
Paolo Bosco
- Laboratory of Cytogenetics, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy
- These authors contributed equally to this article.
Valeria Drago
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Giuseppina Prestianni
- Unit of Psychology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy
Bartolo Lanuzza
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
Ivan Iero
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
Mariangela Tripodi
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
Rosario S. Spada
- Unit of Geriatrics, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy
Giuseppe Toscano
- Unit of Geriatrics, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy
Filippo Caraci
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Raffaele Ferri
- Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0935 936111; fax: +39 0935 936694.

Received 22 June 2007; received in revised form 4 October 2007; accepted 31 October 2007.

Abstract

Background

Contradictory data have been published on the influence of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The aims of this study were to confirm the presence of specific neuropsychological changes in OSA patients carrying the APOE ε4 allele and to clarify if these changes are due to the sole presence of this allele or to its interactions with OSA pathology.

Methods

The APOE genotype was examined in 123 patients with OSA and in 121 controls, together with a series of neuropsychological tests.

Results

OSA and control subjects had similar APOE genotype and allele distribution, but when neuropsychological tests were considered, OSA patients showed significantly lower values for verbal long-term (delayed free recall at the Rey auditory-verbal learning test) and working memory (bisyllabic words). Moreover, spatial span was found to be lower in OSA ε4 allele carriers than in non-carriers; this difference was not observed in controls.

Conclusions

This study confirms the presence of a verbal memory impairment in OSA patients and provides evidence for a significant interaction of APOE ε4 allele and OSA on frontal lobe function in adults, possibly mediated by the presence of specific frontal lobe neuroanatomical changes in these patients.

Keywords: Apolipoprotein E, ε4 allele, Obstructive sleep apnea, Spatial working memory, Neuropsychological tests, Frontal lobe functions