Sleepwalking in Parkinson’s disease: a questionnaire-based survey

Association of Sleepwalking and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder With Parkinson Disease in Men

IMPORTANCE

Previous studies conducted among patients with Parkinson disease (PD) reported that parasomnias other than rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), particularly sleepwalking (SW), are associated with PD severity. However, it remains unclear whether the presence of SW is associated with altered odds of having PD in a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether probable SW, either alone or co-occurring with probable RBD, is associated with higher odds of PD in men.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study included 25 694 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a population-based cohort of male health professionals in the US with information on probable SW and probable RBD. Data collection took place between January 2012 and June 2018, and data analysis took place from July 2020 to October 2020.

EXPOSURES

Probable SW and probable RBD were measured by questions adapted from the Mayo Sleep Questionnaire in 2012.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

PD, confirmed after review of medical records by a movement disorder specialist.

RESULTS

Of the 25 694 studied men (mean [SD] age, 75.6 [7.4] years), 223 (0.9%) had probable SW, 2720 (10.6%) had probable RBD, and 257 (1.0%) had PD. After adjusting for potential confounders (eg, age, smoking, caffeine intake, chronic disease status, and other sleep disorders), compared with individuals without probable SW and probable RBD, participants with probable SW, probable RBD, and both probable SW and probable RBD had higher odds of PD, (probable SW: odds ratio [OR], 4.80; 95% CI, 1.61-14.26; probable RBD: OR, 6.36; 95% CI, 4.83-8.37; both probable SW and probable RBD: OR, 8.44; 95% CI, 3.90-18.27).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study of a male population, probable sleep parasomnias, including both SW and RBD, were associated with higher odds of having PD. PD-related neurodegeneration may impair arousal regulation during sleep.

NREM sleep parasomnias as disorders of sleep-state dissociation

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep parasomnias (or NREM parasomnias) are fascinating disorders with mysterious neurobiological substrates. These conditions are common and often severe, with social, personal and forensic implications. The NREM parasomnias include sleepwalking, sleep terrors and confusional arousals - collectively termed disorders of arousal (DOAs) - as well as less well-known entities such as sleep-related sexual behaviours and eating disorders. Affected patients can exhibit waking behaviours arising abruptly out of NREM sleep. Although the individual remains largely unresponsive to the external environment, their EEG shows both typical sleep-like and wake-like features, and they occasionally report dreaming afterwards. Therefore, these disorders offer a unique natural model to explore the abnormal coexistence of local sleep and wake brain activity and the dissociation between behaviour and various aspects of consciousness. In this article, we critically review major findings and updates on DOAs, focusing on neurophysiological studies, and offer an overview of new clinical frontiers and promising future research areas. We advocate a joint effort to inform clinicians and the general public about the management and follow-up of these conditions. We also strongly encourage collaborative multicentre studies to add more objective polysomnographic criteria to the current official diagnostic definitions and to develop clinical practice guidelines, multidisciplinary research approaches and evidence-based medical care.

Sleep Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease

The spectrum of sleep problems in Parkinson's disease (PD) is broad. These symptoms are recognized as being clinically relevant by the PD patients and may seriously affect their quality of life. Some studies reveal the occurrence of sleep disorders in more than half of the PD patients. The etiology is multifactorial and it mainly involves the degeneration of the sleep-regulating structures. Sleep disorders in PD can be classified into: disturbances of sleep and disturbances of wakefulness. Generic and specific scales were designed to help the screening and evaluation of sleep dysfunction. Further assessment can be done using sleep recording techniques, like actigraphy or polysomnography. All types of sleep disturbances may be encountered in PD: insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorders, and restless legs syndrome. This chapter will focus on reviewing the main characteristics, pathophysiology, assessment, and management of the most frequent sleep disturbances encountered in PD.

Sleep-related movement disorders and disturbances of motor control

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Review of the literature pertaining to clinical presentation, classification, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep-related movement disorders and disturbances of motor control.

RECENT FINDINGS

Sleep-related movement disorders and disturbances of motor control are typically characterized by positive motor symptoms and are often associated with sleep disturbances and consequent daytime symptoms (e.g. fatigue, sleepiness). They often represent the first or main manifestation of underlying disorders of the central nervous system, which require specific work-up and treatment. Diverse and often combined cause factors have been identified. Although recent data provide some evidence regarding abnormal activation and/or disinhibition of motor circuits during sleep, for the majority of these disorders the pathogenetic mechanisms remain speculative. The differential diagnosis is sometimes difficult and misdiagnoses are not infrequent. The diagnosis is based on clinical and video-polysomnographic findings. Treatment of sleep-related motor disturbances with few exceptions (e.g. restless legs/limbs syndrome) are based mainly on anecdotal reports or small series.

SUMMARY

More state-of-the-art studies on the cause, pathophysiology, and treatment of sleep-related movement disorders and disturbances of motor control are needed.

The sleeping brain in Parkinson's disease: A focus on REM sleep behaviour disorder and related parasomnias for practicing neurologists

Sleep disorders are identified as common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and recently this recognition has been expanded to include parasomnias, encompassing not only REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), but also other non-REM forms. RBD, a prototypical parasomnia in PD, exists even in the prodromal stage of the disease, and is characterized by the presence of dream enactment behaviours occurring alongside a loss of normal skeletal muscle atonia during REM sleep. In contrast, non-REM parasomnias are more frequently observed in the late stage PD. However, the development of these disorders often overlaps and it is not uncommon for PD patients to meet the criteria for more than one type of parasomnias, thus making a clinical distinction challenging for practicing neurologists who are not sleep specialists. Indeed, clinical recognition of the predominant form of parasomnia does not just depend on video-polysomnography, but also on an individual physician's clinical acumen in delineating pertinent clinical history to determine the most likely diagnosis and proceed accordingly. In this review article, we highlight the various forms of parasomnias that have been reported in PD, including, but not limited to, RBD, with a focus on clinical symptomatology and implications for clinical practice. In addition, we review the differences in PD-related parasomnias compared to those seen in general populations. With advances in sleep research and better technology for ambulatory home monitoring, it is likely that many unanswered questions on PD-related parasomnias will soon be resolved resulting in better management of this nocturnal challenge in PD.

Higher Frequency and Complexity of Sleep Disturbances in Dementia with Lewy Bodies as Compared to Alzheimer's Disease

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances (SDs) are common in patients with all forms of dementia. However, most studies focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and less is known about the prevalence and characteristics of SD in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this cross-sectional study were: (1) to examine the frequency of SD in DLB versus AD; (2) to compare patients with and without SD with regard to relevant clinical variables, and (3) to investigate the associations between SD and medication use.

METHODS

Patients with a first-time diagnosis of probable or possible DLB or AD were selected from the Dementia Study of Western Norway and recruited from clinics for old age psychiatry from 2010 until the end of 2013.

RESULTS

In all, 123 (55.7%) subjects with dementia suffered from at least one SD. Insomnia was present in 77 (34.8%), and 34 (20.7%) patients had probable REM-sleep behaviour disorder (RBD). All SDs were also significantly more frequent in patients with DLB than in AD, and DLB patients also more often had several co-occurring SDs. The presence of any SD was associated with more neuropsychiatric symptoms, higher morbidity, more parkinsonian symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness. Antiparkinsonian medication was used more often in RBD, restless leg syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movements, and benzodiazepines were also common in RLS.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep problems are more common in DLB patients compared to AD, and are associated with more clinical impairment. DLB patients frequently have several sleep problems occurring simultaneously, which suggests a need for screening and accurate assessment of sleep in DLB.

Distinctive features of NREM parasomnia behaviors in parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy

OBJECTIVE

To characterize parasomnia behaviors on arousal from NREM sleep in Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).

METHODS

From 30 patients with PD, Dementia with Lewy Bodies/Dementia associated with PD, or MSA undergoing nocturnal video-polysomnography for presumed dream enactment behavior, we were able to select 2 PD and 2 MSA patients featuring NREM Parasomnia Behviors (NPBs). We identified episodes during which the subjects seemed to enact dreams or presumed dream-like mentation (NPB arousals) versus episodes with physiological movements (no-NPB arousals). A time-frequency analysis (Morlet Wavelet Transform) of the scalp EEG signals around each NPB and no- NPB arousal onset was performed, and the amplitudes of the spectral frequencies were compared between NPB and no-NPB arousals.

RESULTS

19 NPBs were identified, 12 of which consisting of 'elementary' NPBs while 7 resembling confusional arousals. With quantitative EEG analysis, we found an amplitude reduction in the 5-6 Hz band 40 seconds before NPBs arousal as compared to no-NPB arousals at F4 and C4 derivations (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Many PD and MSA patients feature various NREM sleep-related behaviors, with clinical and electrophysiological differences and similarities with arousal parasomnias in the general population.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study help bring to attention an overlooked phenomenon in neurodegenerative diseases.