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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Applied Neuroimaging
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1532037
The contributions of resting-state functional-MRI studies to our understanding of male patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review
Provisionally accepted- 1 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 2 Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- 3 Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 4 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Objectives:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition marked by the recurrent partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. This leads to intermittent pauses in breathing, fragmented sleep, and frequent awakenings throughout the night. Many of these symptoms are believed to be linked to brain damage; however, the fundamental neurological processes underlying these impairments remain largely unknown. This study investigates resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) findings in male patients with OSA to better understand the specific mechanisms associated with this condition in this demographic. Methods：The search was conducted in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, encompassing literature from their inception to July 2024. Studies were identified based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and were evaluated by two independent reviewers. Results：A total of 16 eligible original rs-fMRI studies on male patients with OSA were included in this review. The findings indicate that patients with OSA exhibit alterations in resting-state brain activity . These neural changes may help explain the effects of OSA on emotion, cognition, and quality of life. Additionally, these findings could be used in the future to evaluate treatment outcomes. Conclusion：This study highlights significant changes in local brain activities, interested region related functional connectivity, and whole-brain functional connectivity networks in patients with OSA. These findings offer valuable insights into the neural alterations at the core of OSA and and may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and intervention.
Keywords: Resting-state fMRI, obstructive sleep apnea, functional connectivity, Functional segregation, Functional integration
Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 27 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Li, Zhao and Fan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ruoxi Yu, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, Beijing Municipality, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.