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Abstract #2970

Altered Blood-Brain Barrier Function in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Jose A Palomares 1 , Danny JJ Wang 2,3 , Bumhee Park 1 , Sudhakar Tummala 1 , Mary A Woo 4 , Daniel W Kang 5 , Keith S St Lawrence 6 , Ronald M Harper 7 , and Rajesh Kumar 1,3

1 Anesthesiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 2 Neurology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 3 Radiological Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 4 School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 5 Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 6 Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Canada, 7 Neurobiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) subjects show brain injury in sites that control autonomic, cognitive, and mood functions, deficient in OSA. However, the pathological processes contributing to brain damage in OSA are unclear, but may include altered blood brain barrier (BBB) function. We assessed global BBB function and large artery integrity in OSA and found that BBB function is compromised, but integrity of large arteries is intact. The BBB alteration in OSA can contribute to neural damage that contribute to abnormal functions in the syndrome. These findings suggest requirement to repair BBB function in OSA, with strategies commonly-used in other fields.

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