Sleep disorders affect a large percentage of the population and are an under-recognised problem. In addition to long term risks of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the immediate daytime consequences are neuropsychological impairments such as excessive daytime sleepiness, loss of attention, and impairment of memory and executive functions. Despite the importance of neuropsychological measures, currently there is still a lack of efficient and objective tools to measure them in clinical practice.
Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have developed technology for measuring neuropsychological impairments using electroencephalography (EEG) and other data acquired during standard sleep diagnostic tests. The techniques are ideally suited for implementation in the home or work environment using simple hardware.
This technology is also applicable to a broader population (outside of a sleep apnea patient population), such as professionals that require high neuropsychological performance for their job – typically jet pilots, truck drivers, surgeons and athletes. This technology will be able to assess whether their job performance will be affected by their previous night’s sleep.