Functional Connectivity Changes in the Insular Subregions of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea after 6 Months of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment

This study was aimed at investigating the functional connectivity (FC) changes between the insular subregions and whole brain in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after 6 months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment and at exploring the relationship between resting-state FC changes and cognitive impairment in OSA patients. Data from 15 patients with OSA before and after 6 months of CPAP treatment were included in this study. The FC between the insular subregions and whole brain was compared between baseline and after 6 months of CPAP treatment in OSA. After 6 months of treatment, OSA patients had increased FC from the right ventral anterior insula to the bilateral superior frontal gyrus and bilateral middle frontal gyrus and increased FC from the left posterior insula to the left middle temporal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus. Hyperconnectivity was found from the right posterior insula to the right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral precuneus, and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, which mainly involved the default mode network. There are changes in functional connectivity patterns between the insular subregions and whole brain in OSA patients after 6 months of CPAP treatment. These changes provide a better understanding of the neuroimaging mechanisms underlying the improvement in cognitive function and emotional impairment in OSA patients and can be used as potential biomarkers for clinical CPAP treatment.

Automated summary

This study investigated the changes in functional connectivity between the insular subregions and whole brain in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients after 6 months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, and explored the relationship between these changes and cognitive impairment. Data from 15 OSA patients before and after 6 months of CPAP treatment were analyzed. The results showed increased functional connectivity between specific insular subregions and various brain regions after CPAP treatment. These changes provide insights into the neuroimaging mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction and emotional impairment in OSA patients and can potentially be used as biomarkers for clinical CPAP treatment.