0000000000131797
AUTHOR
Patrizia Congiu
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 …
REM sleep behavior disorder and periodic leg movements during sleep in ALS
Objective To assess sleep characteristics and the occurrence of abnormal muscle activity during sleep, such as REM sleep without atonia (RSWA), REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS), in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods A total of 41 patients with ALS and 26 healthy subjects were submitted to clinical interview and overnight video-polysomnography. Results A total of 22 patients with ALS (53.6%) reported poor sleep quality. Polysomnographic studies showed that patients with ALS had reduced total sleep time, increased wakefulness after sleep onset, shortened REM and slow-wave sleep, and decreased sleep efficiency, compared t…