Neurophysiological basis of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: Informing future drug development

TY - JOUR

T1 - Neurophysiological basis of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder

T2 - Informing future drug development

AU - Jennum, Poul

AU - Christensen, Julie Anja Engelhard

AU - Zoetmulder, Marielle

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by a history of recurrent nocturnal dream enactment behavior and loss of skeletal muscle atonia and increased phasic muscle activity during REM sleep: REM sleep without atonia. RBD and associated comorbidities have recently been identified as one of the most specific and potentially sensitive risk factors for later development of any of the alpha-synucleinopathies: Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Several other sleep-related abnormalities have recently been identified in patients with RBD/Parkinson's disease who experience abnormalities in sleep electroencephalographic frequencies, sleep-wake transitions, wake and sleep stability, occurrence and morphology of sleep spindles, and electrooculography measures. These findings suggest a gradual involvement of the brainstem and other structures, which is in line with the gradual involvement known in these disorders. We propose that these findings may help identify biomarkers of individuals at high risk of subsequent conversion to parkinsonism.

AB - Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by a history of recurrent nocturnal dream enactment behavior and loss of skeletal muscle atonia and increased phasic muscle activity during REM sleep: REM sleep without atonia. RBD and associated comorbidities have recently been identified as one of the most specific and potentially sensitive risk factors for later development of any of the alpha-synucleinopathies: Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Several other sleep-related abnormalities have recently been identified in patients with RBD/Parkinson's disease who experience abnormalities in sleep electroencephalographic frequencies, sleep-wake transitions, wake and sleep stability, occurrence and morphology of sleep spindles, and electrooculography measures. These findings suggest a gradual involvement of the brainstem and other structures, which is in line with the gradual involvement known in these disorders. We propose that these findings may help identify biomarkers of individuals at high risk of subsequent conversion to parkinsonism.

KW - Brain stem

KW - Hypocretin

KW - Hypothalamus

KW - Motor control

U2 - 10.2147/NSS.S99240

DO - 10.2147/NSS.S99240

M3 - Review

C2 - 27186147

AN - SCOPUS:84979582232

SN - 1179-1608

VL - 8

SP - 107

EP - 120

JO - Nature and Science of Sleep

JF - Nature and Science of Sleep

ER -