Welcome to the Memories 2 Clinical Research Study 

Changing the Trajectory of Mild Cognitive Impairment with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be a transitional stage between the expected memory and cognitive changes of normal aging and the more serious decline in cognition and memory functions associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Among all the patients with MCI, approximately 60% have a potentially serious sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep and if left untreated, can lead to long-term health problems.

In 2012, our research team conducted a pilot study using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for treatment of OSA in MCI patients. CPAP is a FDA approved,  medically prescribed device used to treat the repeated pauses in breathing experienced during sleep in patients diagnosed with OSA. It has been used since the 1980s and currently, there are more than one million people using CPAP to treat OSA. This device delivers a mild stream of pressurized air by way of a face or nasal mask to support and keep the airway open during sleep and help keep pauses in breathing from happening.

Building upon the work of the 2012 pilot study, our medical researchers have recently launched the Memories 2 Study.  This clinical research study will be conducted at several medical centers in the U.S.A., and will continue to evaluate whether CPAP treatment of OSA in MCI patients delays their cognitive decline.

The Memories 2 Study is a clinical research study funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the division of the National Institute on Aging (NIA).