title: Rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder and neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is characterised by loss of muscular atonia and prominent motor behaviours during REM sleep. RBD can cause sleep disruption and severe injuries for the patient or bed partner. The disorder is strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple-system atrophy, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and progressive supranuclear palsy. In many cases, the symptoms of RBD precede other symptoms of these neurodegenerative disorders by several years. Furthermore, several recent studies have shown that RBD is associated with abnormalities of electroencephalographic activity, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive, perceptual, and autonomic functions. RBD might be a stage in the development of neurodegenerative disorders and increased awareness of this could lead to substantial advances in knowledge of mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'étude du Sommeil et des Rythmes Biologiques, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: Ronald B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Postuma
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doyon
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montplaisir
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D020187:REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D012039:Regional Blood Flow