MUSCLE METABOLISM AND LEPTIN IN SLEEP-RELATED RESPIRATORY FAILURE - EFFECT OF TREATMENT [ 2002 - 2003 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Ronald Grunstein (Principal investigator) ,  Dr Amanda Piper ,  Prof Campbell Thompson ,  Prof Colin Sullivan

Brief description Breathing problems are common during sleep affecting at least 10% of the adult population with major disruptions of sleep patterns and lack of oxygen. These problems range from very heavy snoring to actual repeated obstruction in breathing (obstructive sleep apnea or OSA) through to breathing failure both awake and asleep (hypoventilation syndromes). Sleep-breathing disorders are very common in people with obesity and can be treated with special breathing machines. The study comprises of 2 main parts. 1. We have found previously a close link between breathing problems during sleep and a certain cluster of health complications in obesity including early diabetes and high blood pressure called the metabolic syndrome. However there is very little information on the how this link develops. We will examine how treatment of sleep apnea, and more severe forms of breathing failure during sleep, changes the following - the circulation of blood in muscle, the amount of fat in the muscle, chemical changes within the muscle and alteration in blood vessel size. All these measurements are related to early risk of diabetes and blood pressure. If treatment of breathing problems during sleep improves muscle metabolism, then we may have new additional treatments for the many people with this metabolic syndrome problem 2. In some recent small studies, we have found that a special chemical messenger called leptin is very high in patients with severe breathing failure during sleep. Leptin is actually a messenger produced by body fat that tells the body how to regulate food intake. Leptin also stimulates breathing in rats. We believe that people with these breathing problems in sleep may have problems in sensing leptin in the brain. We will measure leptin before and after treatment of hypoventilation syndrome to see if the level in the body changes. This research may help us find new leptin-related drug treatments for these breathing disorders.

Funding Amount $AUD 165,509.18

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant