Characteristics and Consequences of Non-apneic Respiratory Events During Sleep.

Rationale: Current scoring criteria of non-apneic events (ie, hypopnea) require the presence of oxyhemoglobin desaturation and/or arousal. However, other sleep study parameters may help to identify abnormal respiratory events (REs) and assist in making more accurate diagnosis.

Objectives: To investigate whether non-apneic REs without desaturation or cortical arousal are associated with respiratory and cardiac consequences.

Effect of age on long-term facilitation and chemosensitivity during NREM sleep.

The reason for increased sleep-disordered breathing with a predominance of central apneas in the elderly is unknown. We speculate that ventilatory control instability may provide a link between aging and the onset of unstable breathing during sleep. We sought to investigate potential underlying mechanisms in healthy, elderly adults during sleep.