W_PW_126: Autonomic control during sleep in apnoea patients
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM · 1 hr. 30 min. (Europe/London)
Poster Zone 2
Traditional poster
CorrelationHRVOSARespirationSleep Apnoea
Information
Introduction
The prevalence of sleep apnoea in the UK is estimated to be between 8 and 10 million people, with more men affected than women (1). This study evaluates physiological variables in sleep apnoea patients and control subjects along sleep stages. The autonomic system activity was estimated using the heart rate's power spectrum. All variables were correlated across sleep stages during the whole night sleep.
Methods
This study used open-source data from the ISRUC-sleep dataset (2). Data from 10 sleep apnoea patients and 10 age-matched controls were analysed using MATLAB. Comparisons between both groups were performed using the Man-Whitney U test. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for paired comparisons against non-effect and the correlation between variables was evaluated using Spearman test.
Results
The breathing rate showed a significant negative correlation with sleeping time in the control group (rho = -0.35 p = 0.001). This trend was not observed for the apnoea patients. The linear regression slopes were significantly different in both groups. The variability of the parasympathetic activity (high-frequency band (0.15Hz – 0.40Hz))��was decreased across all sleep stages in the apnoea group. In agreement with previous reports (3), there is a decrease of sympathetic activity (low-frequency band (0.05Hz – 0.15Hz)) as sleep progresses from NREM1 to NREM3, with a sudden increase during REM.
Discussion and conclusions
Apnoea patients showed a more rigid parasympathetic tone throughout sleep, which was also reflected in a decreased heart rate variability during REM. The autonomic balance evolution described above appears to be blurred in apnoea patients. These differences reveal a disbalance between both divisions of the autonomic system in individuals suffering from sleep apnoea, likely due to the disruption of the sleep architecture.
Acknowledgement
This work was sponsored by the BSc Neuroscience program of QMUL and produced by third year students of the career.
References
1. Bonsignore MR., Baiamonte P., Mazzuca E., Castrogiovanni A. and Marrone O. Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine (2019) 14:8.
2. Khalighi S, Sousa T, Santos JM, Nunes U. ISRUC-Sleep: A comprehensive public dataset for sleep researchers. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2016 Feb;124:180–92.
3. Orphanides GA, Karittevlis C, Alsadder L, Ioannides AA. Using spectral continuity to extract breathing rate from heart rate and its applications in sleep physiology. Front Physiol [Internet]. 2024 Aug 2 [cited 2024 Aug 22];15. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC11327063/
The prevalence of sleep apnoea in the UK is estimated to be between 8 and 10 million people, with more men affected than women (1). This study evaluates physiological variables in sleep apnoea patients and control subjects along sleep stages. The autonomic system activity was estimated using the heart rate's power spectrum. All variables were correlated across sleep stages during the whole night sleep.
Methods
This study used open-source data from the ISRUC-sleep dataset (2). Data from 10 sleep apnoea patients and 10 age-matched controls were analysed using MATLAB. Comparisons between both groups were performed using the Man-Whitney U test. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for paired comparisons against non-effect and the correlation between variables was evaluated using Spearman test.
Results
The breathing rate showed a significant negative correlation with sleeping time in the control group (rho = -0.35 p = 0.001). This trend was not observed for the apnoea patients. The linear regression slopes were significantly different in both groups. The variability of the parasympathetic activity (high-frequency band (0.15Hz – 0.40Hz))��was decreased across all sleep stages in the apnoea group. In agreement with previous reports (3), there is a decrease of sympathetic activity (low-frequency band (0.05Hz – 0.15Hz)) as sleep progresses from NREM1 to NREM3, with a sudden increase during REM.
Discussion and conclusions
Apnoea patients showed a more rigid parasympathetic tone throughout sleep, which was also reflected in a decreased heart rate variability during REM. The autonomic balance evolution described above appears to be blurred in apnoea patients. These differences reveal a disbalance between both divisions of the autonomic system in individuals suffering from sleep apnoea, likely due to the disruption of the sleep architecture.
Acknowledgement
This work was sponsored by the BSc Neuroscience program of QMUL and produced by third year students of the career.
References
1. Bonsignore MR., Baiamonte P., Mazzuca E., Castrogiovanni A. and Marrone O. Obstructive sleep apnea and comorbidities: a dangerous liaison. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine (2019) 14:8.
2. Khalighi S, Sousa T, Santos JM, Nunes U. ISRUC-Sleep: A comprehensive public dataset for sleep researchers. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2016 Feb;124:180–92.
3. Orphanides GA, Karittevlis C, Alsadder L, Ioannides AA. Using spectral continuity to extract breathing rate from heart rate and its applications in sleep physiology. Front Physiol [Internet]. 2024 Aug 2 [cited 2024 Aug 22];15. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC11327063/
Theme
Brain/Body interactions