Grant: Team Grant: Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (and other breathing disorders) result in a substantial decrease in oxygenation of the brain, which results in the degeneration of neurons and corresponding deficits in function. Since there is an additional reduction in the delivery of oxygen to the brain simply due to the aging process, the consequences of OSA are exacerbated to a significant extent in the elderly. This Team Grant will bring together four established researcher and their co-workers to determine the damage that occurs in various brain areas due to periods of apnea and also develop a therapeutic agent to reduce or prevent the consequences of apnea during sleep and waking states in adulthood and old age.