A research study sought to test the hypothesis that intense activation of the genioglossus fails to prevent pharyngeal obstruction during sleep in obstructive sleep apnea patients, as published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Pharyngeal collapsibility during sleep increases primarily due to decline in dilator muscle activity. However, genioglossus EMG is known to increase during apneas and hypopneas, usually without reversing upper airway obstruction or inspiratory flow limitation. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that intense activation of the genioglossus fails to prevent pharyngeal obstruction during sleep, and to evaluate if sleep-induced changes in tongue muscle coordination may be responsible for this phenomenon.
