# Home Sleep Apnea Testing and Neurocognitive Testing for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Young Adults with Down Syndrome

> **NIH NIH R21** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2021 · $247,445

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is highly prevalent in people with Down syndrome (DS), but few
studies have investigated its emergence, evolution, and contribution to patient-reported outcomes and co-
morbidities, including neurocognitive dysfunction and cardiometabolic and cardiovascular risk. These knowledge
gaps have stymied DS health care recommendation development as highlighted by the American Academy of
Pediatrics guidelines that all children with DS undergo a sleep study by 4 years of age but that do not address
ongoing surveillance. Moreover, major challenges to both clinical care and research related to OSAS in DS is
the requirement of an in-laboratory overnight polysomnography (PSG) partly due to the scarcity of dedicated
sleep laboratories with expertise in the care of individuals with intellectual disabilities. This supplement will
leverage an ongoing study of feasibility, acceptability, and performance of home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) vs
PSG in 35 youth aged 10-20 years with DS and expand enrollment by n=15 additional individuals aged 16-30y
to 1) secure training in neurocognitive testing in young adults with DS through a new collaboration, 2) estimate
recruitment yields when fasting blood work and neurocognitive testing are included in the study, and 3) obtain
preliminary estimates examining the relationships of OSAS with a) neurocognitive function and b)
cardiometabolic risk markers and OSAS treatment uptake in individuals with OSAS identified in the context of
the parent award. This work will inform an OSAS intervention study aimed at adult comorbidities (DS-related
Alzheimer disease and dementia, cardiovascular health) and a longitudinal history study of OSAS in adolescents
and young adults with DS. Importantly, data derived from this supplement will ultimately address knowledge
gaps surrounding OSAS screening, patient-focused and clinical relevance of OSAS treatment, and potentially
modifiable risk factors for dementia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10404772
- **Project number:** 3R21HD101003-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREA Bridget KELLY
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $247,445
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10404772

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10404772, Home Sleep Apnea Testing and Neurocognitive Testing for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Young Adults with Down Syndrome (3R21HD101003-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10404772. Licensed CC0.

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