Professor Xiangdong Tang’s research team of theSleep Medicine Center,West China Hospital, Sichuan University, has recently published a research paper in the authoritative journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews ( 5-year impact factor 10.016 ) in the form of a review. The first author is Ye Zhang, a post-doctoral research fellow, the correspondent author is Professor Xiangdong Tang, and West China Hospital of Sichuan University is the first work unit.

Obstructive sleep apnea ( OSA ) and posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) are seemingly two different diseases. Previous study indicated that the prevalence of OSA in PTSD was over 70%. Professor Xiangdong Tang’ team at Sleep Medicine Center, West China Hospital, proposed a hypothetical model to underlie the mechanisms of the comorbidity of PTSD with OSA. Professor Xiangdong Tang’ team further proposed that continuous positive airway pressure therapy, the first-line treatment of OSA, could improve the sleep apnea in rapid eye movement sleep, which may benefit for the extinction of fear emotional memory in patients with PTSD and OSA. This study indicates a need for a multidisciplinary approach in treating patients with PTSD and OSA.In the clinical practice of psychiatry at home and abroad, there is not enough attention to the emotional and mental disorders related to sleep apnea, and there is a lack of targeted treatment. The establishment of this theoretical model will lead and promote academic research in this field. Moreover, it will play a significant role in the treatment of the chronic post-traumatic stress disorder patients among survivors of Wenchuan earthquake in Chengdu in the coming decades.

Research paper link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.019