ArticleSleep2015
Tongue stiffness is lower in patients with obstructive sleep apnea during wakefulness compared with matched control subjects.
Article in Sleep, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global research progress on obstructive sleep apnea in the field of radiological imaging: bibliometric and visualization analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Methodological parameters for upper airway assessment by cone-beam computed tomography in adults with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Ultrasonographic evaluation of genioglossus and geniohyoid muscles stiffness in obstructive sleep apnea.Oral radiology · 2026Article
- Dynamics of oropharyngeal structures during respiration with the volume-altered tongue base of minipigs.Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB · 2026Article
- Cell Surface Thiol Engineering Mechanoregulates Myogenic Differentiation via the FAK-PI3K-AKT Axis.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- Wild-type and engineered adeno-associated viral vectors produce comparable opsin expression and light-evoked responses in rat skeletal muscle.Molecular therapy. Methods & clinical development · 2025Article
- A mandibular advancement device associated with lingual control: a new treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea?Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2024Article
- A pilot observation using ultrasonography and vowel articulation to investigate the influence of suspected obstructive sleep apnea on upper airway.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Upper airway imaging and function in obstructive sleep apnea in people with and without HIV.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2024Article
- Regional associations between inspiratory tongue dilatory movement and genioglossus activity during wakefulness in people with obstructive sleep apnoea.The Journal of physiology · 2023Article
- Clinical Applicability of Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in Patients under Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation Therapy.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with altered tongue motion during wakefulness.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2023Article
- Tissue properties and respiratory kinematics of the tongue base and soft palate in the obese OSA minipig.PloS one · 2023Article
- Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Pathophysiological Perspective.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Review
- Reliability of Sonoelastography Measurement of Tongue Muscles and Its Application on Obstructive Sleep Apnea.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- The effects of upper airway tissue motion on airflow dynamics.Journal of biomechanics · 2020Article
- Respiratory-related displacement of the trachea in obstructive sleep apnea.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2019Article
- Review
- Contemporary image-based methods for measuring passive mechanical properties of skeletal muscles in vivo.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
objectivesThis study aimed to determine whether tongue stiffness (shear modulus) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is different for controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), and to investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on stiffness.
designControlled experimental study.
settingMedical research institute.
participantsPatients with OSA and age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy controls. MEASUREMENTS: Magnetic resonance elastography was performed in nine patients with OSA (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 15 events/h) and seven controls (AHI < 10 events/h) matched for age, sex, and BMI. Six of these OSA subjects were also scanned while 10 cmH2O CPAP was applied. Mean isotropic shear modulus and anisotropic shear moduli parallel and perpendicular to the muscle fascicles in the tongue were calculated.
resultsTongue shear modulus in patients with OSA was lower than that in matched controls (2.68 ± 0.35 (mean ± standard deviation) kPa versus 2.98 ± 0.44 kPa, P < 0.001). Shear modulus decreased with increasing AHI (R = -0.496, P = 0.043), but not age, BMI, or percentage tongue fat. Anisotropic analysis revealed that reduction in stiffness was greatest parallel to the muscle fibers. CPAP had no significant effect on tongue shear modulus.
conclusionsIn awake subjects with obstructive sleep apnea, the tongue is less stiff than in similar healthy subjects and this difference occurs in the muscle fiber direction. CPAP did not significantly reduce tongue stiffness. Thus, any change in neural drive to genioglossus during wakefulness is insufficient to restore normal tongue stiffness.
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Registered trials
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.