Decreased gray—white matter contrast of [11C]-PiB uptake in cognitively unimpaired subjects with severe obstructive sleep apnea

Very recently, cognitively normal, middle-aged adults with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were shown to have regional cortical amyloid-β deposits. This cross-sectional imaging study evaluated changes in global [¹¹C]-PiB GM—WM contrast and studied if those changes are associated with factors reflecting clinical and imaging characteristics in middle-aged patients with severe OSA. The results support and further extend the current understanding of the deleterious effect of severe OSA on proper amyloid clearance, possibly reflecting dysfunction of the brain glymphatic system.