  Nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep desaturation may cause neuronal damage due
to the withdrawal of cerebrovascular reactivity. The current study (1) assessed
the prevalence of NREM sleep desaturation in nonhypoxemic patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and (2) compared a biological marker of
cerebral lesion and neuromuscular function in patients with and without NREM
sleep desaturation.
