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Sleep Breath 1999; 3(1): 013-016
DOI: 10.1055/s-1999-22059
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Copyright © 1999 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel: +1(212)584-4662.

Executive Functions in Persons with Sleep Apnea

Michelle M. Lee1 , Milton E. Strauss1 3 , Nancy  Adams2 3 , Susan  Redline2 3 4
  • Departments of Psychology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
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Publication History

Publication Date:
14 March 2002 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Seventeen patients with sleep apnea syndrome [SAS, Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) = 12-85] were compared with 16 normal controls (RDI < 7) on neuropsychological tests of executive functions, a domain in which SAS patients have been suggested to have deficits. SAS patients demonstrated greater deficits in the retrieval of information from semantic memory (Controlled Oral Word Association task) and in shifting responses in the face of error (Wisconsin Card Sort Test), but differences in working memory were not observed. Eliciting deficits in cognitive executive functions in SAS may require more sensitive measures than are typically used in neuropsychiatric research.

KEYWORD

sleep - sleep apnea - neuropsychological testing - executive functions