ESSENTIAL Study - Sleep Apnea without treatment

STUDY BASICS

Do you have untreated sleep apnea? Are you unable to tolerate or not interested in CPAP or other sleep apnea treatments? If so, you may be eligible for a research study comparing people with untreated sleep apnea to those receiving treatment. The goal of this study is to examine whether sleep apnea treatment affects blood-based markers associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Compensation is provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

The goal of this study is to compare people with moderate or severe sleep apnea who are on treatment (such as CPAP or oral appliance) with people who are not receiving treatment. People who have chosen not to be treated will continue with usual sleep routine. The study aims to examine whether the absence of active sleep apnea treatment is associated with changes in Alzheimer’s Disease blood markers over time.

This research is important because sleep apnea is associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. By comparing people who receive treatment to those who do not, the study will seek to better understand whether sleep apnea treatment can affect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Are 55-85 years old.
• Have moderate or severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
• Are not currently on therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and are unable to tolerate CPAP or not interested in other treatments for OSA.
• Are cognitively normal (are not diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease or mild cognitive impairment).
• Are fluent in English.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Your total participation lasts about 2 years and consists of 2 key time points with multiple visits for each time point:

• The first point consists of 3 baseline visits and involves completing cognitive testing and obtaining blood markers
• The second time point takes place at two years and consists of repeating cognitive testing and obtaining blood markers.