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Review
. 2021 Aug;22(2):812.
doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10244. Epub 2021 May 28.

REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's disease (Review)

Ștefania Diaconu  1 , Oana Falup-Pecurariu  1 , Diana Țînț  1   2 , Cristian Falup-Pecurariu  1   3
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's disease (Review)

Ștefania Diaconu et al. Exp Ther Med. 2021 Aug.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia defined by simple or complex abnormal movements occurring in REM state, instead of the physiological muscular atonia. RBD may be idiopathic, or secondary as in the case of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several studies have confirmed that idiopathic RBD may precede with several years the onset of the specific motor characteristics of PD. The high prevalence of RBD in PD (19-70%) may be explained by several common pathophysiological pathways, mainly related to the dopaminergic cell loss. RBD is also associated with several comorbidities, including cognitive impairment, hallucinations, dysautonomia, or daytime sleepiness. The gold standard investigation for the diagnosis and assessment of RBD is video polysomnography, but in clinical practice, the use of clinical scales and questionnaires is reasonable for the screening of this complex parasomnia. Management options include ensuring a safe environment for the patient and pharmacological treatment, incuding clonazepam, melatonin or certain antiparkinsonian drugs.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; REM sleep behaviour disorder; assessment; outcome; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Grants and funding

Funding: This study was supported by Transilvania University from Braşov, România under contract no. 8023/14.07.2017 (CFP, SD, OFP).