School of Medicine and Health Sciences Poster Presentations
Intranasal Oxytocin Administration in Patients Suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Poster Number
162
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
3-2016
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that affects millions of people yet very few treatment options exist. People with OSA cease breathing multiple times during the night. If left untreated, besides poor sleep quality and excessive daytime fatigue, OSA can lead to more serious conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmias and other cardiovascular consequences. The current recommended treatment is continuous positive airway pressure with which many patients are poorly compliant. Previous work in the Mendelowitz lab has demonstrated a cardioprotective role of oxytocin in a rodent model of OSA. We therefore hypothesized intranasal administration of oxytocin to patients suffering from OSA can have similar benefits on autonomic function. Patients suffering from OSA underwent sleep studies on two consecutive nights. Night one served as a control while intranasal oxytocin was administered on the second night at the start of the sleep study. The recorded sleep studies were then analyzed examining differences in heart rate, oxygen saturation and air flow during apneic events between the two nights.
Creative Commons License
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Open Access
1
Intranasal Oxytocin Administration in Patients Suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that affects millions of people yet very few treatment options exist. People with OSA cease breathing multiple times during the night. If left untreated, besides poor sleep quality and excessive daytime fatigue, OSA can lead to more serious conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmias and other cardiovascular consequences. The current recommended treatment is continuous positive airway pressure with which many patients are poorly compliant. Previous work in the Mendelowitz lab has demonstrated a cardioprotective role of oxytocin in a rodent model of OSA. We therefore hypothesized intranasal administration of oxytocin to patients suffering from OSA can have similar benefits on autonomic function. Patients suffering from OSA underwent sleep studies on two consecutive nights. Night one served as a control while intranasal oxytocin was administered on the second night at the start of the sleep study. The recorded sleep studies were then analyzed examining differences in heart rate, oxygen saturation and air flow during apneic events between the two nights.
Comments
Presented at: GW Research Days 2016