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Micromanaging Human Sleep Physiology to Treat Sleep Apnea and Other Disorders

Micromanaging Human Sleep Physiology to Treat Sleep Apnea and Other Disorders

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06926036
Enrollment
18
Registered
2025-04-13
Start date
2025-04-03
Completion date
2027-04-01
Last updated
2026-07-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Sleep Apnea Obstructive (OSA)

Keywords

sleep, sleep apnea obstructive (OSA)

Brief summary

This study will examine whether a combination of breathing training during wake and targeted reactivation of the training during sleep can induce breathing changes during sleep and subsequent cognitive benefits during wake. Participants with obstructive sleep apnea (who have not yet been treated for sleep apnea) will be recruited. Participants will engage in breath training for one week in their own homes and to record their sleep at home using commercially available mobile devices and subsequently have their sleep monitored for one night of polysomnography recordings plus targeted reactivation in a laboratory setting.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALWake training + TMR

In this within-participant design, all participants will undergo the same intervention of waking training and TMR. Waking training - waking training will associate an auditory cue with a specific learned behavioral response (a tongue protrusion and inhalation) during daily sessions for approximately one week, with home sleep monitoring. TMR - Targeted memory reactivation (TMR) refers to the process of playing learning-associated audio cues quietly during sleep in order to reactivate memories associated with the cue. After completion of waking training, TMR occurs in a laboratory setting, with PSG recording, during a single night.

Sponsors

Northwestern University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Right-handed, English-speaking adults, 18-60 years old who report normal hearing during sleep 2. Participants with suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (including those who have been diagnosed by a physician and those whose self-reported symptoms of OSA on the STOP-BANG questionnaire classify them as being "individuals with intermediate to high risk". 3. No report of any other sleep disorder besides OSA. 4. No report of any neurological or cardiometabolic diseases or disorders. 5. Not currently under active treatment for sleep apnea. 6. BMI ≤ 40.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI)Day 1AHI indexes the severity of OSA on the night of the study.
Respiratory event durationDay 1The duration of a hypopnea or apnea on the night of the study.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTKen A Paller, PhD
kap@northwestern.edu847-467-3370
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORKen A Paller, PhD

Northwestern University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 16, 2026