Citation

Li Y, Vgontzas A, Kritikou I, Fernandez-Mendoza J, Basta M, Pejovic S, Gaines J, Bixler EO. J. Clin. Sleep Med. 2017; 13(9): 1049-1056.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

28728622

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a key symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) has been suggested as an objective easy-to-use, inexpensive alternative to the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) to measure EDS. In patients with OSA, physiological sleepiness, but not subjective EDS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), has been associated with increased levels of the sleep- inducing proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). The goal of this study was to assess the association of PVT with objectively measured sleepiness (MSLT) and subjectively measured sleepiness (ESS) and IL-6 levels in patients with OSA.

METHODS: We studied 58 untreated patients with OSA who underwent an 8-hour in-laboratory polysomnography for 4 consecutive nights. MSLT, PVT, and 24-hour serial profiles of IL-6 were assessed on the fourth day. PVT variables included number of lapses, mean reciprocal of the fastest 10% and slowest 10% reaction times, and median of 1/reaction time. ESS was assessed on day 1 of the study.

RESULTS: Higher ESS scores were significantly associated with greater number of lapses (β =.34, P =.02) and lower values of 1/RT (β = -.36, P =.01) and slowest 10% RTs (β = -.30, P =.04). No significant association was observed between PVT and MSLT, nor PVT and IL-6 levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that PVT is associated with subjectively assessed daytime sleepiness, but not with physiological sleepiness nor IL-6 levels in patients with OSA. It appears that ESS and PVT may be useful in predicting risks associated with impaired performance, such as traffic accidents, in patients with OSA.

Language: en

Keywords

Psychomotor Vigilance Task; daytime sleepiness; objective daytime sleepiness; sleep apnea; subjective daytime sleepiness