In a paper published today in the journal Neuron, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) identified specific neural circuitry responsible for rousing the brain of mice in simulated apnea conditions, reports News Medical.
Often but not always marked by loud snoring, sleep apnea occurs when a sleeping person’s airway collapses and closes off breathing. Dipping oxygen (O2) levels and rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the blood alert the sleeping brain to the problem, rousing the sleeper just long enough to re-establish breathing.
“A person with apnea wakes up and starts breathing again and this cycle can repeat hundreds of time per night, so the person never gets very deeply asleep,” said senior author Clifford B. Saper, MD, Chair of the Department of Neurology at BIDMC. “In the morning, they may not remember that they have not had a restful night’s sleep but will feel very tired.”
