Recruiting

Sleep Physiology

Sponsor:

Northwestern University

Code:

NCT06926036

Conditions

Sleep Apnea Obstructive (OSA)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Wake training + TMR

Study Details

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.

Conditions

Sleep Apnea Obstructive (OSA)

Study ID

NCT06926036

Start date

Apr 3, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Apr, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Apr, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 60

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

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.

Study Design

Enrollment

18 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: All participants

Interventions

Wake 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.

Primary outcome measure

  • Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]
  • Respiratory event duration [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Ken A Paller, PhD

847-467-3370kap@northwestern.edu

Locations

Northwestern University

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611

Contacts

Ken A Paller, PhD

847-467-3370kap@northwestern.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Northwestern University

Last update posted

Jul 15, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • sleep
  • sleep apnea obstructive (OSA)

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Northwestern University on 2026-07-15.