Researchers find Parkinson’s precursor

The researchers found that almost two-thirds of patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) develop degenerative brain diseases by approximately 11 years after diagnosis of RBD.

“Hopefully, early identification of patients with idiopathic RBD will lead to close monitoring and early treatment of any developing neurological disorders,” commented Dr Tippmann-Peikert, Mayo Clinic sleep medicine specialist, neurologist and the study’s lead researcher.

RBD is a sleep disorder in which patients act out their dreams, which are often unpleasant and violent, according to Dr Tippmann-Peikert. This acting out results from a loss of normal muscle paralysis in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the dream stage, which ordinarily prevents people from enacting their dreams.

“The danger with RBD is that patients can hurt themselves or their spouses during the acting out behaviors – bruises, lacerations, bone fractures and even subdural hematomas (brain hemorrhages) have been reported,” said Dr Tippmann-Peikert.

In this study, the investigators mailed questionnaires to 39 patients diagnosed with RBD at the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center between 1988 and 1995. Of the 23 patients who agreed to participate, five had developed dementia or Parkinson’s disease, and 10 reported neurological symptoms highly suggestive of dementia or Parkinson’s disease. The patients in this study were an average of 11.2 years beyond their diagnoses of RBD.