Zoe Terpening

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a sleep disorder resulting in a lack of oxygen to the brain and frequent disruption of sleep throughout the night. In healthy adults untreated OSA is linked to decline in a wide range of memory and thinking (i.e. cognitive) domains including attention, processing speed, memory and higher-level thinking. Importantly, however, treatment with continuous airway pressure (CPAP) results in improved cognition. The prevalence of at least mild sleep-disordered breathing is even greater in older people and has been estimated to be as high as 70-80%. Her data shows that OSA is related to cognitive decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a group who are at high risk of progressing to Alzheimer’s Disease. This study aims to evaluate whether CPAP can improve cognition and daily functioning in MCI, possibly slowing cognitive decline in this ‘at risk’ group.

Dr Terpening is featured in our video series 'The Brains Behind Dementia Research'.

Dr Terpening is a Clinical Neuropsychologist based at Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney and Sydney Adventist Hospital.