Abstract:

Obstructive sleep apnea （OSA） is a chronic， complex， and heterogeneous respiratory system disorder characterized by recurrent collapse of the upper airway during nighttime sleep. This disruption leads to fragmented sleep and clinical manifestations such as cognitive behavioral deficits. A typical pathophysiological characteristic of OSA is chronic intermittent hypoxia （CIH）， which results in varying degrees of central nervous systempathological damage and functional impairments. Epigenetic mechanisms encompass DNA methylation， histone post-translational modifications， and non-coding RNAs， which regulate processes such as stress responses， cellular hypoxia， inflammation and metabolic abnormalities. These processes are related to the pathogenesis of OSA and its underlying driving force （CIH）. Therefore， a review of epigenetic research on how OSA impacts cognitive function and progress on OSA diagnose and therapy holded promise for future in-depth exploration of OSA's pathogenic mechanisms and the discovery of new drug targets to broaden treatment strategies.

Key words: obstructive sleep apnea, chronic intermittent hypoxia, epigenetics, cognition, memory

摘要：

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（obstructive sleep apnea, OSA）属于慢性、复杂性、异质性呼吸系统疾病，主要特征是在夜间睡眠期间发生的上呼吸道反复塌陷。这种疾病会导致睡眠碎片化和认知行为缺陷等临床表现。OSA的典型病理生理改变是慢性间歇性缺氧（chronic intermittent hypoxia，CIH），CIH会造成不同程度的中枢神经系统病理学损伤和功能障碍。表观遗传学范畴涵盖DNA甲基化、组蛋白翻译后修饰和非编码RNA等，它们能够调控应激反应、细胞缺氧、炎症和代谢异常等过程。这些过程与OSA的发病机制和CIH的潜在驱动力有关。综述了OSA影响认知功能的表观遗传学研究进展，以及诊断及治疗进展，期望为未来深入探索OSA致病机制、找到药物治疗新靶点拓宽思路。

关键词: 阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停, 慢性间歇性缺氧, 表观遗传学, 认知, 记忆