Obstructive sleep apnea impairs white matter integrity in vulnerable brain regions, according to a study in the March issue of SLEEP. Diffusion imaging revealed impaired fiber integrity in the patients with OSA, indicating increased white matter microstructural damage. Results also show that this impairment is associated with increased disease severity and higher systemic inflammation, making this the first study to report an association between intracranial white matter integrity and circulating inflammatory markers in patients with OSA.

Read the study: White Matter Damage and Systemic Inflammation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea