3D MRI Texture Analysis of the Brain in Obese Subjects with OSA: Analysis of Brain Injury and Relationship to Cognitive Impairments

Up to 60% of obese youths with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are afflicted with episodes of nocturnal hypoxia, a known risk factor for structural cerebral alterations and neurocognitive problems leading to cognitive impairment. By applying grey-level co-occurrence-based texture analysis in children with and without OSA, we were able to show that the presence of OSA is associated with microscopic changes in normal appearing white matter in regions impacted by cognitive impairment. The findings support the lower tissue homogeneity, and decrease in cortical density and thickness seen in moderate-severe OSA groups.