REM sleep behavior disorder and periodic leg movements in sleep in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Introduction In the last few years, it has been increasingly recognized that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) frequently suffer of sleep-related complaints, including insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and daytime sleepiness, although, in the past, many of the nocturnal symptoms have been mainly ascribed to chronic respiratory insufficiency and hypoventilation. In addition, excluding few single cases reported, polysomnographic studies did not look for abnormal motor activity during sleep that could be indicative of Rapid Eye Movements (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and REM sleep without atonia (RSWA), which are highly prevalent in other neurodegenerative disorders with …