Intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia during sleep does not induce ventilatory long-term facilitation in healthy males.

Intermittent hypoxia-induced ventilatory neuroplasticity is likely important in obstructive sleep apnea pathophysiology. Although concomitant CO2 levels and arousal state critically influence neuroplastic effects of intermittent hypoxia, no studies have investigated intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia effects during sleep in humans. Thus the purpose of this study was to investigate if intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia during sleep induces neuroplasticity (ventilatory long-term facilitation and increased chemoreflex responsiveness) in humans. Twelve healthy males were exposed to intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (24 × 30 s episodes of 3% CO2 and 3.0 ± 0.2% O2) and intermittent medical air during sleep after 2 wk washout period in a randomized crossover study design. Minute ventilation, end-tidal CO2, O2 saturation, breath timing, upper airway resistance, and genioglossal and diaphragm electromyograms were examined during 10 min of stable stage 2 sleep preceding gas exposure, during gas and intervening room air periods, and throughout 1 h of room air recovery. There were no significant differences between conditions across time to indicate long-term facilitation of ventilation, genioglossal or diaphragm electromyogram activity, and no change in ventilatory response from the first to last gas exposure to suggest any change in chemoreflex responsiveness. These findings contrast with previous intermittent hypoxia studies without intermittent hypercapnia and suggest that the more relevant gas disturbance stimulus of concomitant intermittent hypercapnia frequently occurring in sleep apnea influences acute neuroplastic effects of intermittent hypoxia. These findings highlight the need for further studies of intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia during sleep to clarify the role of ventilatory neuroplasticity in the pathophysiology of sleep apnea.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Both arousal state and concomitant CO2 levels are known modulators of the effects of intermittent hypoxia on ventilatory neuroplasticity. This is the first study to investigate the effects of combined intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia during sleep in humans. The lack of neuroplastic effects suggests a need for further studies more closely replicating obstructive sleep apnea to determine the pathophysiological relevance of intermittent hypoxia-induced ventilatory neuroplasticity.

Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Prospects for Personalized Combined Modality Therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder with serious associated morbidities. Although several treatment options are currently available, variable efficacy and adherence result in many patients either not being treated or receiving inadequate treatment long term. Personalized treatment based on relevant patient characteristics may improve adherence to treatment and long-term clinical outcomes. Four key traits of upper airway anatomy and neuromuscular control interact to varying degrees within individuals to cause OSA. These are: (1) the pharyngeal critical closing pressure, (2) the stability of ventilator chemoreflex feedback control (loop gain), (3) the negative intraesophageal pressure that triggers arousal (arousal threshold), and (4) the level of stimulus required to activated upper airway dilator muscles (upper airway recruitment threshold). Simplified diagnostic methods are being developed to assess these pathophysiological traits, potentially allowing prediction of which treatment would best suit each patient. In contrast to current practice of using various treatment modes alone, model predictions and pilot clinical trials show improved outcomes by combining several treatments targeted to each patient's pathophysiology profile. These developments could theoretically improve efficacy and adherence to treatment and in turn reduce the social and economic health burden of OSA and the associated life-threatening morbidities. This article reviews OSA pathophysiology and identifies currently available and investigational treatments that may be combined in the future to optimize therapy based on individual profiles of key patient pathophysiological traits.

The role of high loop gain induced by intermittent hypoxia in the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea.

Intermittent hypoxia and unstable breathing are key features of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common pathological problem of breathing in sleep. Unstable ventilatory control is characterised by high loop gain (LG), and likely contributes to cyclical airway obstruction by promoting airway collapse during periods of low ventilatory drive. Potential new strategies to treat OSA include manipulations designed to lower LG. However, the contribution of inherent versus induced LG abnormalities in OSA remains unclear. Hence, a better understanding of the mechanisms causing high LG in OSA is needed to guide the design of LG based treatments. OSA patients exhibit abnormal chemoreflex control which contributes to increased LG. These abnormalities have been shown to normalise after continuous positive airway pressure treatment, suggesting induced rather than inherent trait abnormalities. Experimental intermittent hypoxia, mimicking OSA, increases hypoxic chemosensitivity and induces long term facilitation; a sustained increase in ventilatory neural output which outlasts the original stimulus. These neuroplastic changes induce the same abnormalities in chemoreflex control as seen in OSA patients. This review outlines the evidence to support that a key component of high LG in OSA is induced by intermittent hypoxia, and is reversed by simply preventing this inducing stimulus.