CPAP therapy can reverse the damage to adult brain tissue caused by obstructive sleep apnea. With only a few months of treatment cognitive impairment caused by the disorder can be eliminated.

Scientists found considerable increases in the brain’s gray matter volume, specifically in the hippocampus and frontal structures.

Breathing pauses from sleep apnea can disrupt blood oxygen levels and reduce blood flow to the brain. Over time, the damage to the brain’s gray matter can be significant. Gray matter refers to the cellular layers of the cerebral cortex, where the brain does most of its information processing.

The findings were based on a study involving MRI scans over the course of CPAP therapy. Researchers used a processing technique called “voxel-based morphometry” to follow brain structure changes and the associated cognitive effects.

The authors of the study noticed the largest improvement over the first three months of treatment. No further increase in gray matter volume was observed in the final nine months of the study.

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when tissue in the back of throat collapses and blocks the airway, causing pauses in breathing during sleep. The pauses can happen up to a few hundred times each night in severe cases.

The sleep disorder is common and patients can be of any age. Obese, middle –aged men are most frequently diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.

Learn the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea and find help at the CPAP Central section of Sleepeducation.com. Read the latest new related to sleep apnea at the Sleep Education Blog.