Regulatory Control Of The Upper Airway Muscle Genioglossus During Sleep
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,855.00
Summary
Difficulty breathing during sleep is a major health problem. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is the most frequently occurring of these disorders, being found in approximately 4% of males and 2% of females. In OSA the upper airway (UA) collapses during sleep preventing airflow and causing a fall in oxygen levels in the blood. The airway collapses because during sleep muscles in the UA are unable to offset the negative pressure generated within the airway by the effort of inspiring. If the negative ....Difficulty breathing during sleep is a major health problem. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is the most frequently occurring of these disorders, being found in approximately 4% of males and 2% of females. In OSA the upper airway (UA) collapses during sleep preventing airflow and causing a fall in oxygen levels in the blood. The airway collapses because during sleep muscles in the UA are unable to offset the negative pressure generated within the airway by the effort of inspiring. If the negative pressure is too great and the airway collapses the person has to wake up to reopen the airway. As the UA collapses again on the return of sleep, the cycle becomes repetitive, causing sleep disruption. OSA is a significant health risk causing heart disorders, increased mortality, daytime sleepiness, reduced daytime performance and increased risk of accidents. OSA is due to two interacting factors. First, people with a narrow airway have to generate a greater negative pressure during inspiration. Second, and critically, sleep reduces activity in the UA muscles. The importance of this sleep effect is indicated by the observation that OSA patients do not obstruct while awake. Thus, a respiratory abnormality during sleep is a necessary component of the disorder. However, progress in understanding motor control of UA muscles has been slow. We argue that this is in part because research has concentrated on analysing the activity of the UA muscles, rather than measuring the individual motor units that make up the muscles. In this project we propose to investigate the sleep related activity of individual motor units in the UA muscle, genioglossus (GG). GG plays a critical role in the UA as it keeps the tongue from collapsing backwards into the airway. We anticipate that this approach will provide insights into motor control of the tongue and the role of GG in the development of OSA.Read moreRead less
Sleep Disorders And Human Health - Prevalence, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis And Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$640,210.00
Summary
My primary research focus is to understand the mechanisms underlying sleep-related breathing disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea, and develop better ways to diagnose and treat them. I do this by undertaking university-based epidemiology studies in a large sample of community participants, by undertaking smaller hospital-based physiology studies and by working with US and Australian start-up companies to design and test new treatment for sleep disorders.
Pharyngeal Wall Folding: Role In Upper Airway Collapsibility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$217,274.00
Summary
In obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) the throat closes during sleep. In order for the throat to close the surface of the throat has to fold. Mathematical models predict that the more folds present, the more stable a structure will be. This research will examine how folding of the airway surface of the throat is achieved in subjects with and without OSA. It will also develop ways of changing the folding patterns using bench, animal and human studies. This will result in new treatments for OSA.
Optimal Management Of Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$178,157.00
Summary
Disorders of breathing during sleep affect over 1.5 million children in the Australian community and have negative impacts on cognitive functioning, behaviour and quality of life. Early identification and treatment is paramount to optimise the health of these children. My research focuses on prompt identification and appropriate treatment of breathing disorders during sleep, to enhance health care outcomes for individuals and health service provision.
Quantifying The Ventilatory Control Contribution To Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Using Clinical Polysomnography
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,995.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a highly prevalent condition with limited treatment options. New research shows that many patients have sleep apnoea because of a hypersensitive control of breathing (instability). Yet there is no way to measure instability and target it clinically. We aim to refine and apply a powerful new method to measuring breathing instability using a conventional sleep study, to allow treatments for sleep apnoea to be targeted at those patients who will respond most effectively.
Most deaths from non-illicit drugs are caused by prescribed opioids and are nearly always due to respiratory arrest during sleep. However, no study has assessed the effect of opioids on vital respiratory drives during sleep. In addition, sleep apnea has been identified as a major risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality, while no study investigated how to identify those sleep apnea patients most at risk of opioids. Our proposed studies aim to address these gaps in knowledge.
Dangerous Dreams: The Next Era In Paediatric Sleep Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,238,220.00
Summary
The amount of time and the quality of our sleep affects every aspect of our health and well-being. The amount of time we sleep is maximal in infants and children because it is promotes normal brain development. Sleep problems affect nearly half of all children and adversely affect both learning and blood pressure. The proposed studies will identify and improve treatment of sleep problems to improve overall physical health and quality of life for these children and their families.
Does Adenotonsillectomy Change Vascular Function In Children With Sleep Breathing Disorders?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$522,105.00
Summary
Sleep breathing disorders affect 10% of all children and when severe, obstruction in the upper airways causes serious deficits in growth, development, brain function and heart health. But even mild snoring (without obstruction) may also cause poor health in the arteries that supply blood to the brain and heart, as well as the smaller arteries in the arms and legs. In both adults and children with conditions like diabetes and obesity, poor blood vessel health has been shown to greatly increase th ....Sleep breathing disorders affect 10% of all children and when severe, obstruction in the upper airways causes serious deficits in growth, development, brain function and heart health. But even mild snoring (without obstruction) may also cause poor health in the arteries that supply blood to the brain and heart, as well as the smaller arteries in the arms and legs. In both adults and children with conditions like diabetes and obesity, poor blood vessel health has been shown to greatly increase the future risk of heart attacks, angina and strokes. Children with severe sleep breathing disorders (such as sleep apnoea syndrome) are currently treated by removal of the tonsils and adenoids, which typically resolves snoring and improves sleep, but it is not yet known whether there are any benefits for blood vessel health. The earliest signs of blood vessel disease in children are abnormal function of the lining of the blood vessels (endothelial dysfunction) and thickening of the lining of blood vessels (intima media thickness). They precede the adult diseases of atherosclerosis - which causes heart attacks and strokes, and diabetic kidney and eye disease. These changes can be measured accurately and non-invasively using ultrasound imaging of arteries in the neck and arm. Our primary aim is to assess whether changes in blood vessel health occur in children with sleep breathing disorders across the range of severity, with a secondary aim to measure any changes in cardiovascular control during both sleep (when snoring occurs). Most importantly, by assessing children before and after surgery, we will be able to see for the first time whether treatment of childhood snoring improves blood vessel health. This study may have major implications for the clinical management of snoring children, who may require treatment at an earlier age to prevent poor blood vessel health and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases later in life.Read moreRead less
NeuroSleep: The Centre For Translational Sleep And Circadian Neurobiology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,659,061.00
Summary
NeuroSleep, the Centre for Translational Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, will foster innovative clinical research and translation to develop national capacity in understanding how sleep disorders and dysfunction of the body clock impact on health. The Centre will focus its activities on the two-way relationship between disrupted sleep and body clock systems and brain disorders. Our goal is to improve brain performance, workplace safety and health outcomes in patients with sleep and circadian d ....NeuroSleep, the Centre for Translational Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, will foster innovative clinical research and translation to develop national capacity in understanding how sleep disorders and dysfunction of the body clock impact on health. The Centre will focus its activities on the two-way relationship between disrupted sleep and body clock systems and brain disorders. Our goal is to improve brain performance, workplace safety and health outcomes in patients with sleep and circadian dysfunction and in the general community.Read moreRead less
A-Prof Wheatley is a respiratory and sleep disorders physician investigating the pathogenesis, health consequences and management of sleep breathing disorders, including sleep apnoea and snoring.