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Sleep apnea may cause learning problems

Respiratory Care Weekly, August 23, 2006

In the brains of children with serious, untreated sleep apnea, Johns Hopkins researchers conclude the disorder causes damage in two brain structures tied to learning ability, according to the August 22 Public Library of Science Medicine. The researchers reported on the differences between brain MRIs of 19 children with severe obstructive sleep apnea and 12 without, charting changes to the hippocampus and the right frontal cortex, as well as IQ tests.

"This should be a wake-up call to both parents and doctors that undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea might hurt children's brains," says lead author Ann Halbower, MD, a lung specialist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. "This is truly concerning because we saw changes that suggest brain injury in areas of the brain that house critical cognitive functions, such as attention, learning, and working memory."

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