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Can we reactivate a memory during sleep to improve respiration in people who stop breathing due to a sleep disorder?

Poster Session C - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom
Also presenting in Data Blitz Session 3 - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm PST, Salon E.

Erika M. Yamazaki¹, Hrayr Attarian², Phyllis C. Zee^1,2, Ken A. Paller¹; ¹Northwestern University, ²Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by partial or complete cessation of breathing during sleep, which can have serious health consequences and represents a major public-health challenge. Treatment with Positive Airway Pressure devices is generally efficacious, but compliance is inadequate for many people. Here, we sought to determine whether a novel non-invasive method can improve respiration in people with this sleep disorder. We reasoned that sounds associated with behavioral responses may reactivate those responses during sleep. We recruited people with sleep apnea not currently receiving treatment. Participants trained to inhale nasally with their mouth closed while pressing their tongue against the back of their teeth, which can open the airway. They trained over multiple days to repeatedly produce this response to an auditory stimulus, the spoken phrase “breathe in.” Then, during an 8-hour overnight session with polysomnographic recordings, we monitored for a decrease in respiratory flow and each time either presented these stimuli or marked when stimuli would have been presented (sham). We compared the severity of sleep-disordered breathing between alternating stimulation and sham periods. Partially collected data indicated that respiratory event duration was shorter during stimulation than during sham, along with a lower oxygen-desaturation index (number of times oxygen levels drop by 4% from baseline per hour of sleep). More data will be collected to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to move ahead with planning further tests and developing ways to offer this sort of treatment in the home environment with wearable technology.

Topic Area: OTHER