Research

Obstructive sleep apneas and mild cognitive impairment

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major health problem, particularly in the aging population among which OSA is observed in about 20% of individuals. OSA causes sleep disruption and intermittent nocturnal hypoxemia (decrease in the amount of oxygen carried in the blood), which can lead to daytime sleepiness, cognitive deficits, and cerebral dysfunctions. OSA is also recognized as a risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and cognitive decline. The main goal of this study is to understand the association between OSA and in older individuals. More specifically, we will study individuals with OSA, individuals with mild cognitive impairment and control subjects in terms of their cognitive functioning (attention, memory, planning capacity) and their brain structures. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to improve sleep apnea and thus improve cognitive functioning. Finally, we will evaluate the predictive value of neuropsychological markers, genetic, electrophysiological and neuroimaging on cognitive health during a three-year follow-up.


Sleep and circadian rhythms after moderate and severe traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public healthcare concern. TBI is the leading cause of mortality in children and young adults in industrial countries. TBI can result in short and long-term cognitive, physical, neurobehavioral and psychological impairments known to interfere with daily living activities and return to work or school. Chronic sleep-wake disturbances, particularly fatigue, hypersomnia, and insomnia, are among the most severe, the most persistent and the most disabling symptoms after TBI. They affect at least 50% of this population and are present across the range of TBI severity. Despite the high prevalence of post-traumatic sleep-wake disturbances and their consequences on quality of life, their emergence and their evolution are still poorly understood. Our research program proposes to objectively measure sleep and circadian rhythms in the acute stage after a TBI, to investigate factors contributing to sleep-wake disturbances and to study the progression of these sleep-wake disturbances over one year.

 

Team

Lab Members:
	Hélène Blais, B.Sc. Research Coordinator Medical electrophysiology technologist B.Sc. in Anthropology, Université de Montréal
	Catherine Duclos, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal Co-direction with Dre Marie Dumont Circadian rhythms in patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury
	Katia Gagnon, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuropsychology R/I, Université du Québec à Montréal Co-direction with Dr Jean-François Gagnon Sleep slow waves in patients with sleep apnea
	Pierre-Olivier Gaudreault, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuropsychology R/I, Université de Montréal Co-direction with Dre Julie Carrier Study of diffusion tensor imaging in normal aging
	Andrée-Ann Baril, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal Structural and functional cerebral changes in obstructive sleep apnea
	Caroline d’Aragon, B.Sc. Research Assistant B.Sc. in Psychology, Université de Montréal
	Marc-André Gareau, B.Sc. M.Sc. candidate in Neurological Sciences, Université de Montréal Co-direction with Dr Alex Desautels Periodic limb movements of sleep: impact on the cerebral microvasculature
	Marianne Jodoin, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuropsychology R/I, Université de Montréal Co-direction with Dr Louis De Beaumont Prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury in patients treated for upper limbs orthopedic injuries
	Héjar El-Khatib, M.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuropsychology R/I, Université de Montréal Sleep and wakefulness disorders in the chronic phase after a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
	Erlan Sanchez, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience, Université de Montréal Neurobiological correlates of wake and sleep disorders following a moderate-severe traumatic brain injury
	Solenne Van der Maren, B.Sc. Ph.D. candidate in Neuropsychology R/I, Université de Montréal Cognitive and neuronal recovery following a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: the role of sleep in the acute phase
Previous Lab Members:
	Caroline Arbour, Ph.D.  Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal Co-direction with Dr Gilles Lavigne Sleep disorders and neuroanatomical changes in cortical integration of nociceptive signals, and the development of chronic pain after a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
	Maxime Fortin, B.Sc. M.Sc. in Software Engineering, ÉTS Co-direction with Dr. Jean-Marc Lina Study of EEG connectivity in obstructive sleep apnea
	Catherine Wiseman-Hakes, Ph.D.  Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal Examination of polysomnopgraphy in hospitalized patients with acute moderate severe traumatic brain injury

Publications

Gosselin N, De Beaumont L, Gagnon K, Baril AA, Mongrain V, Blais H, Montplaisir J, Gagnon J-F, Pelleieux S, Poirier J, Carrier J. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism interacts with sleep sonsolidation to predict ability to create new declarative memories. J Neurosci 2016, 36(32), 8390-8398.

Arbour C, Baril AA, Westwick HJ, Potvin MJ, Gilbert D, Giguère JF, Lavigne GJ, Desautels A, Bernard F, Laureys S, Gosselin N. Visual fixation in the ICU: A strong predictor of long-term recovery after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuy. Crit Care Med 2016, in press.

Wiseman-Hakes C, Duclos C, Blais H, Dumont M, Bernard F, Desautels A, Menon DK, Gilbert D, Carrier J, Gosselin N. Sleep in the acute phase of severe traumatic brain injury: a snapshot of polysomnography. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2015, 30(8), 713-21.

Gosselin N, Duclos C. Insomnia following a mild traumatic brain injury: a missing piece to the work disability puzzle? Sleep Med 2016, 20, 155-6.

Baril AA, Gagnon K, Arbour C, Soucy JP, Montplaisir J, Gagnon JF, Gosselin N. Regional cerebral blood flow during wakeful rest in older subjects with mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea. SLEEP 2015, 38(9), 1439-1449.

Arbour C, Khoury S, Lavigne GJ, Gagnon K, Poirier G, Montplaisir JY, Carrier J, Gosselin N. Are NREM sleep characteristics associated to subjective sleep complaints after mild traumatic brain injury? Sleep Med 2015, 16(4), 534-539.

Duclos C, Dumont M, Wiseman-Hakes C, Arbour C, Mongrain V, Gaudreault PO, Khoury S, Lavigne G, Desautels A, Gosselin N. Sleep and wake disturbances following traumatic brain injury. Patho Biol (Paris) 2014, 62(5), 252-261.

Duclos C, Beauregard MP, Bottari C, Ouellet MC, Gosselin N. The impact of poor sleep on cognition and activities of daily living after traumatic brain injury: A review. Aust Occup Ther J 2014, 62(1), 2-12.

Gagnon K, Baril AA, Gagnon JF, Fortin M, Décary A, Lafond C, Desautels A, Montplaisir J, Gosselin N. Cognitive impairment in obstructive sleep apnea. Patho Biol (paris) 2014, 62(5), 233-240.

Duclos C, Dumont M, Blais H, Paquet J, Laflamme E, de Beaumont L, Wiseman-Hakes C, Menon DK, Bernard F, Gosselin N. Rest-activity cycle disturbances in the acute phase of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2013, 28(5), 472-482.

Gaudreault PO, Gagnon JF, Montplaisir J, Vendette M, Postuma RB, Gagnon K, Gosselin N. Abnormal occipital event-related potentials in Parkinson's disease with concomitant REM sleep behavior disorder. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2013, 19(2), 212-217.