{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:27:49Z","timestamp":1791221269595,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]],"date-time":"2021-12-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1639612800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) syndrome is a respiratory sleep disorder characterized by partial or complete episodes of upper airway collapse with reduction or complete cessation of airflow. Although the connection remains debated, several mechanisms such as intermittent hypoxemia, sleep deprivation, hypercapnia disruption of the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal axis have been associated with poor neurocognitive performance. Different treatments have been proposed to treat OSAS patients as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), mandibular advancement devices (MAD), surgery; however, the effect on neurocognitive functions is still debated. This article presents the effect of OSAS treatments on neurocognitive performance by reviewing the literature. Methods: We performed a comprehensive review of the English language over the past 20 years using the following keywords: neurocognitive performance and sleep apnea, neurocognitive improvement and CPAP, OSAS, and cognitive dysfunction. We included in the analysis papers that correlated OSA treatment with neurocognitive performance improvement. All validated tests used to measure different neurocognitive performance improvements were considered. Results: Seventy papers reported neurocognitive Performance improvement in OSA patients after CPAP therapy. Eighty percent of studies found improved executive functions such as verbal fluency or working memory, with partial neural recovery at long-term follow-up. One article compared the effect of MAD, CPAP treatment on cognitive disorders, reporting better improvement of CPAP and MAD than placebo in cognitive function. Conclusions: CPAP treatment seems to improve cognitive defects associated with OSA. Limited studies have evaluated the effects of the other therapies on cognitive function.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs11120180","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]],"date-time":"2021-12-16T11:27:36Z","timestamp":1639654056000},"page":"180","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":50,"title":["Neurocognitive Performance Improvement after Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment: State of the Art"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Isabella","family":"Pollicina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1251-0185","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonino","family":"Maniaci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons (UMons), 7000 Mons, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0845-0845","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jerome R.","family":"Lechien","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Anatomy and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons (UMons), 7000 Mons, Belgium"},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Foch Hospital, School of Medicine, UFRSimone Veil, Universit\u00e9 Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris Saclay University), 91190 Paris, France"},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, CHU de Bruxelles, CHU Saint-Pierre, School of Medicine, Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1781-2809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giannicola","family":"Iannella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology, Head-Neck, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, 47121 Forli, Italy"},{"name":"Department of \u201cOrgani di Senso\u201d, University \u201cSapienza\u201d, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudio","family":"Vicini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology, Head-Neck, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, 47121 Forli, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1618-0048","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Cammaroto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology, Head-Neck, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, 47121 Forli, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angelo","family":"Cannavicci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology, Head-Neck, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, 47121 Forli, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3052-1969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Magliulo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology, Head-Neck, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, 47121 Forli, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6744-5280","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Annalisa","family":"Pace","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of \u201cOrgani di Senso\u201d, University \u201cSapienza\u201d, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6135-0958","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvatore","family":"Cocuzza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Milena","family":"Di Luca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanna","family":"Stilo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2631-5452","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paola","family":"Di Mauro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Rita","family":"Bianco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Otolaryngology, Department of Health Science, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2662-1898","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paolo","family":"Murabito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery and Medical and Surgical Specialties\u2014Section of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Catania (Italy), 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vittoria","family":"Bann\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ignazio","family":"La Mantia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies \u201cGF Ingrassia\u201d, ENT Section, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"zsx011","article-title":"bstructive Sleep Apnea is Associated With Early but Possibly Modifiable Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Biomarkers Changes","volume":"40","author":"Liguori","year":"2017","journal-title":"Sleep"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"649","article-title":"Current challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the elderly","volume":"130","author":"Iannella","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pol. 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