New sleep research in the United States shows that people who toss and turn or kick during sleep may face a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The restless movements during sleep can reflect inflammation in brain regions that regulate dopamine production. The findings appeared in a respected neurology journal. peer-reviewed neurology journal.
REM sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, describes frequent movements during REM sleep. In Parkinson’s disease and dementia, dopamine levels fall because dopamine-producing nerve cells die, a change that disrupts the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. peer-reviewed neurology journal.
To study this link, researchers used video polysomnography, a sleep test that records movements during sleep. In the project, 170 volunteers took part, including 80 who had Parkinson’s disease. The team tracked how often participants moved during REM sleep, measuring the frequency, size, speed of movements, and the intervals between movements, as well as periods of rest. The test identified Parkinson’s disease with about 92 percent accuracy. peer-reviewed neurology journal.
Earlier work suggested that Parkinson’s disease is connected to changes in emotional processing in the brain. The new findings add to this picture by showing REM sleep movements may serve as an early sign of the disease, potentially enabling closer monitoring and earlier intervention. Research Review.