Parkinson’s disease: telltale sleep disorder – spectrum of science

Alan Alda ran for his life. However, the actor, who played a leading role in the television series “M*A*S*H” in the 1970s and 1980s, was not on set. The threat was real – at least that’s how it felt to him. When he saw a sack of potatoes in front of him, he grabbed it and threw it towards the pursuer. Then the scene suddenly changed. Alda found himself in his bedroom, wide awake. The supposed potato sack was a pillow that he had just thrown at his wife.

When people live out their dreams in this way, they may have REM sleep behavior disorder. This is a parasomnia – a behavioral disorder that occurs during sleep or during the sleep-wake transition. In this case it affects the REM phase (REM stands for “rapid eye movements”). This is the phase of sleep that we commonly associate with dreams. Normally people are almost completely immobile; In the healthy brain, certain mechanisms prevent us from carrying out dream actions. In people with REM sleep behavior disorder, these brakes are loosened. An estimated 0.5 to 1.25 percent of the general population is affected. Parasomnia occurs more frequently in older adults, especially men.

REM sleep behavior disorder not only poses a risk of injury for dreamers and their partners. According to a growing number of studies, it can precede a neurodegenerative disease. Synucleinopathies in particular, in which the protein a-synuclein forms toxic clumps in the brain, are more common among restless sleepers. The connection is strongest with Parkinson’s disease…