REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD): A Parasomnia with Relevant Neurological Implications
Dr. Laura Pérez-Carbonell (MD, PhD)
Neurologist, sleep specialist and researcher at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, UK; Senior lecturer at King’s College London; Co-investigator of the PREDICT-PD study. More on X.
RBD and its neurological relevance
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (commonly referred as RBD) is a sleep neurological disease in which people have episodes where they act out their dreams (e.g. punching, kicking, lashing out, shouting). RBD more often presents over the age of 50. It is required to do a sleep study (called video-polysomnography) to identify RBD. People with this sleep disorder should be advised to keep safety measures in the room, as their behaviours might lead to injuries during sleep and falls out of bed.
Importantly, RBD is known to have links with other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, which might arise years after the sleep disorder. Sleep physicians and neurologists should take into account the RBD patients’ views and opinions when they are considering discussing these implications. Our study on this topic found that a majority of patients with RBD wanted to know about the links between their sleep problem and other neurological disorders. However, over a third of them did not receive this information at the time of RBD diagnosis, and less than half had been asked about their preferences prior to having the discussion.
In patients with RBD, appropriate and early identification of problems that may suggest a progression to a neurological disorder is essential. As sleep physicians, we should look out for neurological issues or complaints (e.g. mobility problems, memory impairment, symptoms of dysautonomia) that might indicate this. In another study of our group, the use of specific tests to evaluate the RBD patients’ mobility was helpful to find alterations that standard assessments would not capture.
Our current work focuses on finding other factors or characteristics of people with RBD that might shed some light on the risk or type of progression they might have in the future. All this information has both clinical and research interest, and will be especially important when treatments or interventions to prevent the progression of RBD become available.
Article and infographic based on:
Simonet et al. (2024). The Motor Dysfunction Seen in Isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. Mov Disord.
Pérez-Carbonell et al. (2023). The Views of Patients with Isolated Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder on Risk Disclosure. Mov Disord.
Recent publications from ESRSÂ members
- Mancini et al. (2024). Automatic quantification of REM sleep without atonia reliably identifies patients with REM sleep behavior disorder: a possible screening tool? Neurol Sci.
- Sifuentes Ortega and Peigneux. (2024). Does Targeted Memory Reactivation during SWS and REM sleep have differential effects on mnemonic discrimination and generalization? Sleep.
- Mogavero et al. (2024). Large Muscle Group Movements during Sleep in Restless Leg Syndrome: Neurophysiological and Clinical Implications. Sleep.
- Baillieul et al. (2024). Medication-induced central sleep apnea: beyond the unification of concepts, seizing the opportunity to precision medicine. Sleep.
- Garcia-Borreguero et al. (2024). Treatment of Sleep, Motor and Sensory Symptoms with the Orexin Antagonist Suvorexant in Adults with Idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome: A Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Proof-of-Concept Study. CNS Drugs.
- Gabaldón-Estevan et al. (2024). Kairos study protocol: a multidisciplinary approach to the study of school timing and its effects on health, well-being and students’ performance. Front Public Health.
- Mercante et al. (2024). International consensus on sleep problems in pediatric palliative care: paving the way. Sleep Medicine.