Trial results investigating the relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Alzheimer's Disease were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-05-11. The study enrolled 182 participants to examine how OSA may contribute to AD progression.
Background
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition among older adults, characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. Recent research has suggested a potential link between sleep disruptions, such as those caused by OSA, and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sleep disruptions have been implicated in memory impairment, making the investigation into OSA's role in AD progression a relevant area of study.
Trial design
This completed Phase 1 study enrolled 182 participants to investigate the potential contribution of obstructive sleep apnea to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The conditions studied included Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea, and Alzheimer Disease. The trial aimed to examine the relationship between sleep apnea and AD development.
Key results
The study collected several key measurements related to sleep and neuroimaging:
- Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) - Crossover:
- In the Oxygen group, the mean AHI was 34.9 (Standard Deviation 18.1) units on a scale.
- In the Room Air group, the mean AHI was 39.6 (Standard Deviation 18.7) units on a scale.
- Loop Gain (LG) - Crossover:
- For the Oxygen group, the mean LG was 0.52 (Standard Deviation 0.15) ratio.
- For the Room Air group, the mean LG was 0.60 (Standard Deviation 0.15) ratio.
- Neuroimaging - BRAAK12 tauPET:
- Non-OSA Controls showed a mean tauPET value of 0.91 (Standard Deviation 0.22) Standardized Uptake Value Ratio.
- Participants with Obstructive Sleep Apnea had a mean tauPET value of 0.92 (Standard Deviation 0.16) Standardized Uptake Value Ratio.
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) - Parallel:
- The Crossover (Oxygen > Air) and Parallel (Positive Airway Pressure) group had a mean ESS score of -0.50 (Standard Deviation 1.97) questionnaire sum score.
- The Crossover (Oxygen > Air) and Parallel (Oxygen) group had a mean ESS score of 0.14 (Standard Deviation 2.85) questionnaire sum score.
- The Crossover (Air > Oxygen) and Parallel (Positive Airway Pressure) group had a mean ESS score of -0.22 (Standard Deviation 1.72) questionnaire sum score.
- The Crossover (Air > Oxygen) and Parallel (Oxygen) group had a mean ESS score of -0.43 (Standard Deviation 2.76) questionnaire sum score.
- The Parallel Only (Positive Airway Pressure) group had a mean ESS score of 1.00 (Standard Deviation 0.82) questionnaire sum score.
- The Parallel Only (Oxygen) group had a mean ESS score of -1.8 (Standard Deviation 1.92) questionnaire sum score.
What this means
The results from this study provide insights into physiological measures of sleep apnea and tau pathology in the context of Alzheimer's disease. Notably, the neuroimaging data for BRAAK12 tauPET showed very similar mean values between Non-OSA Controls (0.91) and participants with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (0.92). This suggests that, within the scope of this study, there was no substantial difference in this specific measure of tau pathology between the two groups. The Apnea Hypopnea Index and Loop Gain measurements offer objective data on sleep apnea severity and ventilatory stability under different conditions, while the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores provide subjective assessments of daytime sleepiness across various experimental groups.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT05094271, titled "Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea Important in the Development of Alzheimer's Disease?", were posted on 2026-05-11 on clinicaltrials.gov.