title: Relationships among obstructive sleep apnea, anthropometric measures, and neurocognitive functioning in adolescents with severe obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore associations between measures of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep quality, anthropometrics, and neurocognitive functioning in severely obese adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional pilot study performed at an academic medical center in 37 severely obese (body mass index [BMI] >97th percentile) adolescents. Study evaluations included polysomnography, BMI, waist circumference, and standardized neurocognitive tests to assess memory, executive functioning, psychomotor efficiency, academic achievement, and an approximation of full-scale IQ. Outcome data were evaluated categorically, based on clinical criteria for the diagnosis of OSA, and continuously to quantify associations between sleep parameters, anthropometrics, and neurocognitive test results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sleep fragmentation and poorer sleep quality were associated with reduced psychomotor efficiency, poorer memory recall, and lower scores on standardized academic tests. Having evidence of OSA was associated with lower math scores, but not with other neurocognitive measures. BMI and waist circumference were negatively associated with oxygen saturation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our pilot study findings suggest that sleep fragmentation and poorer sleep quality have implications for neurocognitive functioning in obese adolescents. The epidemic of childhood obesity has dire implications, not only for increasing cardiometabolic pathology, but also for possibly promoting less readily apparent neurologic alterations associated with poor sleep quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. tshannon@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Tamara S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: Dana L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rofey
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Denise A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Clapper
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakravorty
authors.forename: Silva A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Arslanian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017286:Polysomnography; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference