DETROIT—Wayne State University Associate Professor, Jason H. Mateika, Ph.D., of the Department of Physiology and Internal Medicine in the School of Medicine, was recently awarded $1.5 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. His grant, “Impact of Intermittent Hypoxia on Ventilatory Drive and Apnea Severity,” will investigate sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep.

Individuals afflicted with sleep apnea have periodic episodes throughout the night where they stop breathing for ten seconds or more. In some individuals, the number of times breathing may stop increases during the course of the night. Dr. Mateika’s funded investigation will examine whether the increase in the number of times breathing stops over the course of the night is caused by a change in the function of a chemoreceptor that responds to decreases in oxygen levels. “My study will also examine whether increases in oxidative stress which occurs during exposure to periodic decreases in oxygen levels is in part responsible for changes in chemoreceptor function,” said Dr. Mateika.

“According to the National Institutes of Health, over 12 million people are afflicted with sleep apnea,” said Dr. Joseph Dunbar, associate vice president for Research at Wayne State University. “Even more alarming is that many of those with sleep apnea are never diagnosed. Left untreated, sleep apnea can increase the chance of having high blood pressure, a heart attack or stroke. Sleep apnea is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to memory lapses that may be responsible for work related accidents and motor vehicle crashes. It is my hope that Dr. Mateika’s research will raise awareness of sleep apnea, and someday find effective new treatments for individuals suffering with this disease,” Dunbar added.

Dr. Mateika of West Bloomfield, Michigan, will collaborate with Safwan Badr, M.D., associate department chair of Internal Medicine at WSU, and Dorothy Lee, MSN of the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. Dr. Mateika received his Bachelors of Science from the University of Guelph, his Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Dr. Mateika joined Wayne State’s faculty in 2002.

Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.