Key result
Severe obstructive sleep apnea was associated with the lowest rate of interhemispheric brain switching during sleep compared to mild and moderate groups (P=0.0012).
Why the study?
Alternating interhemispheric slow-wave activity during sleep is well-established in animals, but its investigation in humans has been largely neglected.
Observational
Sleep-disordered breathing exacerbates interhemispheric asymmetry of brain activity during sleep, with severe OSA patients showing the lowest brain switching rate.
Exploratory EEG laterality findings in sleep apnea groups are hypothesis-generating; larger prospective studies needed before any clinical consideration.
(1) Background: Alternating interhemispheric slow-wave activity during sleep is well-established in birds and cetaceans, but its investigation in humans has been largely neglected. (2) Methods: Fuzzy entropy was used to calculate a laterality index (LI) from C3 and C4 EEG channels. The subjects were grouped according to an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) for statistical analyses: Group A AHI < 15 (mild); Group B 15 ≤ AHI < 30 (moderate); Group C AHI ≥ 30 (severe). The LI distribution was analysed to characterise the brain activity variation in both hemispheres, and the cross-zero switching rate was given statistical tests to find the correlations with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and sleep states, i.e., wake (W), light sleep (LS), deep sleep (DS), and REM. (3) Results: EEG brain switching activity was observed in all sleep stages, and the LI distribution shows that, for obstructive sleep apnea patients, the interhemispheric asymmetry of brain activity is more obvious than healthy people. A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference of switching rate among three groups (F(2,95) = 7.23, p = 0.0012), with Group C shows the least, and also a significant difference among four sleep stages (F(3,94) = 5.09, p = 0.0026), with REM the highest. (4) Conclusions: The alternating interhemispheric activity is confirmed ubiquitous for humans during sleep, and sleep-disordered breathing intends to exacerbate the interhemispheric asymmetry.
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Li et al. (2019) conducted an observational in Obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea severity vs. Mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea / healthy people was evaluated on Cross-zero switching rate of laterality index (LI) (p=0.0012). Severe obstructive sleep apnea was associated with the lowest rate of interhemispheric brain switching during sleep compared to mild and moderate groups (P=0.0012).
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