Posted on 7/5/2018
Children between the ages of 7 and 11 years with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) showed significant reductions of gray matter—the brain cells involved in movement, memory, emotions, speech, perception, decision making, and self-control—in several regions of their brains in a recent study at the University of Chicago.
The results point to a strong connection between OSA, which affects up to 5% of all children, and the loss of neurons or delayed neuronal growth in the developing brain, according to the researchers. This extensive reduction of gray matter, the researchers added, provides another reason why parents of children with symptoms of OSA should consider early detection and ther...