title: Diagnosis, disease notification, and management of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder.
abstract: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by dream enactment behavior during REM sleep. It has been demonstrated that patients with idiopathic RBD are at a significantly increased risk of developing one of the α-synucleinopathies later in life, and this is called "phenoconversion". Although some physicians argue against disclosing information that could cause patients psychological stress, the patients also have a "right to know" about their own disease. Therefore, determining when and how to disclose this information, in addition to appropriate follow-up, is important. Clonazepam is the first choice of treatment for RBD associated with α-synucleinopathies. Since RBD is one of the premotor symptoms of α-synucleinopathies, and enables its early diagnosis, a combination of RBD and other examinations may contribute to the realization of a disease-modifying therapy. It is hoped that the early establishment of biomarkers could help predict the phenoconversion from RBD to α-synucleinopathies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University.
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimohata
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
mesh_terms: D002998:Clonazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D020187:REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein; D002998:Clonazepam