# Mentoring Research in the Physiology and Consequences of Sleep Disordered Breathing

> **NIH NIH K24** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2022 · $109,155

## Abstract

This proposal for a K24 renewal will continue to : (1) provide protected time and support to Dr. Ayappa while
she mentors graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty pursuing careers in patient-oriented
research of sleep disorders; (2) conduct clinical research in patients with sleep disordered breathing (SDB)
including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and (3) augment her capabilities to conduct patient-oriented research
and mentoring. Dr Ayappa is actively involved in research in pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and
outcomes of SDB that provides research opportunities for mentoring.
 Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder affecting 15-50% of the US population.
Untreated OSA has significant morbidity and mortality including cardiovascular and neurocognitive impairment.
Multiple ongoing projects will provide mentoring and patient oriented research opportunities for Dr. Ayappa's
mentees. The first project will examine the mechanistic pathways involved in the high prevalence of OSA in
World Trade Center (WTC) dust exposed subjects. We recently identified chronic rhinosinistis (CRS) as an
independent risk factor for OSA in this population that was associated with inflammation, but was not due to
increased nasal resistance. We will (i) test if damage to the upper airway sensory apparatus contributes to
OSA in WTC responders with CRS and (ii) identify predominant OSA phenotypic traits in WTC responders and
compare them to OSA patients from a sleep clinic. (U01OH011481) The second project (funded by Fisher &
Paykel Healthcare) involves development and testing of novel algorithms for non-invasive ventilation in
patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome. These include application of pressures exclusively during sleep
(for comfort) and automatic titration of pressures to ensure efficacy. The third area of research in collaboration
with Ricardo Osorio, MD examines the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). We will
extend our prior work in our well characterized longitudinal cohort of cognitively normal older adults in whom
we recently demonstrated that OSAwas associated with markers of increased amyloid burden over a 2 year
follow-up (1R01HL118624, R01AG056031). We will follow these subjects for an additional 4 years to test the
longitudinal effects of slow wave sleep and OSA severity on amyloid deposition. We will also examine
(R01AG056531) whether sleep disturbances, which are more common among African-Americans when
compared to whites, are one of the factors that explain increases in amyloid burden. The activities outlined in
the proposal are directed toward Dr Ayappa's career development. The mentoring work will address the need
for new researchers in sleep medicine. The experimental work provides learning opportunities for mentees and
is relevant for understanding the physiology of OSA and its outcomes, its diagnosis and treatment with
potential for improving health and quality of life in m...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10430236
- **Project number:** 5K24HL109156-09
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** INDU A AYAPPA
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $109,155
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-08-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10430236

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10430236, Mentoring Research in the Physiology and Consequences of Sleep Disordered Breathing (5K24HL109156-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10430236. Licensed CC0.

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