Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical study on the effect of nerve control on upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea

  • Research Article
  • Special Issue on Intelligent Computing and Modeling in Life System and Sustainable Environment
  • Published:
International Journal of Automation and Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory disease characterized by the upper airway collapses and reopens repeatedly during sleep. Though the nerve control plays a key role in the upper airway collapse, it has been considered in previous studies only with lumped parameter models. Based on a finite element model including airway and surrounding structures, the effect of nerve control on the upper airway collapse was studied with fluid-structure interaction method. Spring elements were used to simulate the function of the muscle group. The simulation results show that the nerve control reduces the deformation of airway successfully and avoids the risk of OSAS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A. Malhotra, D. P. White. Obstructive sleep apnoea. The Lancet, vol. 360, no. 9328, pp. 237–245, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. I. Ayappa, D. M. Rapoport. The upper airway in sleep: Physiology of the pharynx. Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol.7, no. 1, pp. 9–33, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. M. S. Badr. Effect of ventilatory drive on upper airway patency in humans during NREM sleep. Respiration Physiology, vol. 103, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. F. J. Trudo, W. B. Gefter, K. C. Welch, K. Gupta, G. Maislin, R. Schwab. State-related changes in upper airway caliber and surrounding soft-tissue structures in normal subjects. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, vol. 158, no. 4, pp. 1259–1270, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. M. Younes, M. Ostrowski, W. Thompson, C. Leslie, W. Shewchuk. Chemical control stability in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, vol. 163, no. 5, pp. 1181–1190, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. C. Jiang, A. Rojas, R. P. Wang, X. R. Wang. CO2 central chemosensitivity: Why are there so many sensing molecules? Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, vol. 145, no. 2–3, pp. 115–126, 2005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. E. Nattie. CO2, brainstem chemoreceptors and breathing. Progress in Neurobiology, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 299–331, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. D. K. Mulkey, R. L. Stornetta, M. C. Weston, J. R. Simmons, A. Parker, D. A. Bayliss, P. G. Guyenet. Respiratory control by ventral surface chemoreceptor neurons in rats. Nature Neuroscience, vol. 7, pp. 1360–1369, 2004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. R. L. Horner. The neuropharmacology of upper airway motor control in the awake and asleep states: Implications for obstructive sleep apnoea. Respiratory Research, vol.2, no. 5, pp. 286–294, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. C. Haberthur, B. Fabry, D. Zappe, J. Guttmann. Effects of mechanical unloading/loading on respiratory loop gain and periodic breathing in man. Respiration Physiology, vol. 112, no. 1, pp. 23–36, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. J. Steier, C. J. Jolley, J. Seymour, K. Warda, Y. M. Luo, M. I. Polkeyd, J. Moxhama. Increased load on the respiratory muscles in obstructive sleep apnea. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, vol. 171, no. 1, pp. 54–60, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. W. H. Chen, J. Y. Ye, D. M. Han, Y. H. Zhang, J. Y. Wang. End-tidal carbon dioxide concentration monitoring in obstructive sleep apnea patients. American Journal of Otolaryngology, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 190–193, 2011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. E. J. Kezirian, A. Boudewyns, D.W. Eisele, A. R. Schwartz, P. L. Smith, P. H. Van de Heyning, W. A. De Backer. Electrical stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Medicine Reviews, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 299–305, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. R. H. Huang, X. P. Li, Q. G. Rong. Control mechanism for the upper airway collapse in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: A finite element study. Science China Life Sciences, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 366–372, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Q. G. Rong, S. Ren, Q. H. Li. Effect of upper airway shape on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Numerical simulation by fluid-structure interaction method. Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 13, no. 6, Article number 1340009, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Q. G. Rong, S. Ren, Q. H. Li. Modeling and simulation of the neural control on OSAS with fluid-structural interaction method. In Proceedings of International Conference on Life System Modeling and Simltion, and International Conference on Intelligent Computing for Sustainable energy and Environmnet, Shanghai, China, pp. 226–233, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  17. R. H. Huang, Q. G. Rong. Respiration simulation of human upper airway for analysis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Wuxi, China, vol. 6330, pp. 588–596, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  18. L. X. Huang, S. J. Quinn, P. D. M. Ellis, J. E. Ffowcs Williams. Biomechanics of snoring. Endeavour, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 96–100, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. C. Xu, M. J. Brennick, L. Dougherty, D.M. Wootton. Modeling upper airway collapse by a finite element model with regional tissue properties. Medical Engineering & Physics, vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 1343–1348, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Qi-Guo Rong & Shuang Ren

  2. Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China

    Qi-Hong Li

Authors
  1. Qi-Guo Rong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shuang Ren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Qi-Hong Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qi-Guo Rong.

Additional information

This study was supported by Beijing Natural Sciences Foundation (Nos. 7133248 and 3122020).

Recommended by Guest Editor Yang Song

Qi-Guo Rong received the B. Sc. and M. Sc. degrees from Peking University, China, in 1990 and 1994, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from University of Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2002. He is currently an associate professor at Peking University, China.

His research interests include biomechanics and medical engineering.

ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9209-730X

Shuang Ren received the B. Sc. degree from China Medical University, China, in 2011. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science at Peking University, China.

Her research interests include biomechanics and medical engineering.

Qi-Hong Li received the B. Sc. M. Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Stomatology from Fourth Military Medical University, China, in 2006, 2008 and 2012, respectively. Currently, he is a dentist in the Affiliated Hospital of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, China.

His research interests include orthodontics and biomechanics.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rong, QG., Ren, S. & Li, QH. Numerical study on the effect of nerve control on upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea. Int. J. Autom. Comput. 13, 117–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-015-0933-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-015-0933-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation