Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23997362›Full record

SynthesisSleep2013

Executive dysfunction in OSA before and after treatment: a meta-analysis.

Michelle Olaithe, Romola S Bucks

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sleep, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
92citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
9.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

92 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 207 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Association of edentulism and obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review.Journal of prosthodontics : official journal of the American College of Prosthodontists · 2025
    Pooled it
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  7. European Respiratory Society guideline on non-CPAP therapies for obstructive sleep apnoea.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2021
    Guideline
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  13. Trial
  14. Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Cognitive and Functional Outcome of Stroke Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2016
    Trial
  15. Article
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  17. A systematic review of obstructive sleep apnea in Indigenous peoples worldwide.Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2026
    Review
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  20. Article

32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Michelle OlaitheSchool of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Romola S Bucks
University of Western Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

objectivesObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a frequent and often underdiagnosed condition that is associated with upper airway collapse, oxygen desaturation, and sleep fragmentation leading to cognitive dysfunction. There is meta-analytic evidence that subdomains of attention and memory are affected by OSA. However, a thorough investigation of the impact of OSA on different subdomains of executive function is yet to be conducted. This report investigates the impact of OSA and its treatment, in adult patients, on 5 theorized subdomains of executive function.

designAn extensive literature search was conducted of published and unpublished materials, returning 35 studies that matched selection criteria. Meta-analysis was used to synthesize the results from studies examining the impact of OSA on executive functioning compared to controls (21 studies), and before and after treatment (19 studies); 5 studies met inclusion in both categories. MEASUREMENTS: Research papers were selected which assessed 5 subdomains of executive function: Shifting, Updating, Inhibition, Generativity, and Fluid Reasoning.

resultsAll 5 domains of executive function demonstrated medium to very large impairments in OSA independent of age and disease severity. Furthermore, all subdomains of executive function demonstrated small to medium improvements with CPAP treatment. DISCUSSION: Executive function is impaired across all five domains in OSA; these difficulties improved with CPAP treatment. Age and disease severity did not moderate the effects found; however, further studies are needed to explore the extent of primary and secondary effects, and the impact of age and premorbid intellectual ability (cognitive reserve).

Indexed as

Executive FunctionContinuous Positive Airway PressureFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsSleep Apnea, Obstructivecognitionexecutive functionneuropsychologyObstructive sleep apneareview

Identifiers

PMID23997362
PMCPMC3738038
OpenAlexW1993671942

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.