Obstructive sleep apnea exacerbates cognitive impairment after stroke and the diagnostic value of serum BDNF and Tau protein

doi:10.16352/j.issn.1001-6325.2025.09.1195

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To explore the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on cognitive impairment in post-stroke patients ,to explore its underlying mechanism and to evaluate potential diagnostic value by dynamically monitoring the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Tau protein in serum. Methods Totally 96 stroke patients admitted to Mianyang third People's Hospital from February 2022 to June 2024 were selected. They were divided into the groups complicated with OSA and control one without OSA following up of neuropsychological scales for 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after stroke for evaluating cognitive function. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to detect the level of BDNF and Tau protein in serum. The correlation of test results and the degree of cognitive impairment as well as their diagnostic value were analyzed. Results The AHI in the OSA group was significantly higher than that of control group, while LSaO₂ and MSaO₂ were significantly lower in the OSA group (P＜0.05). One week and 1,3,6 month months after the onset of the disease, the MMSE and MoCA scores in the OSA group were significantly lower than those in the control group, BDNF level was significantly lower while Tau protein level was significantly higher as compare to those in control group (P＜0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the serum BDNF level was positively correlated with both MMSE score (r=0.654, P＜0.001) and MoCA score (r=0.689, P＜0.001).However, the serum Tau protein level was negatively correlated with both MMSE score (r=-0.623, P＜0.001) and MoCA score (r=-0.667, P＜0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of the combined detection of BDNF and Tau protein was greater than that of the individual detection. The diagnostic value of the combined detection of BDNF and Tau protein for cognitive impairment in post-stroke patients was greater than that of the individual detection (P＜0.05). Conclusions OSA significantly exacerbates patients’ cognitive impairment after stroke. Elevated serum BDNF level and decreased Tau protein level may be the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairment. Serum BDNF and Tau protein may function as potential biomarkers for diagnosis of cognitive impairment after stroke.

Key words: obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, cognitive impairment, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, Tau protein

CLC Number:

R742

ZHAO Dongmei, CAO Feihu, WANG Libo, HUANG Jun, DU Yuxin, LIU Qian. Obstructive sleep apnea exacerbates cognitive impairment after stroke and the diagnostic value of serum BDNF and Tau protein[J]. Basic & Clinical Medicine, 2025, 45(9): 1195-1199.

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