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Background: The definition of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) has varied over the years. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder can be considered isolated or idiopathic or can occur in the context of other disorders, including trauma-associated sleep disorder (TSD) and overlap parasomnia. However, whether trauma in RBD carries any prognostic specificity is currently unknown.Study Objectives: To test the hypothesis that RBD secondary to trauma is less likely to result in the development of neurodegeneration compared to idiopathic RBD (iRBD) without trauma in the general population.Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 122 consecutive RBD patients (103 males) at two tertiary sleep clinics in Europe between 2005 and 2020 was studied. Patients were diagnosed as having iRBD by video polysomnography (vPSG) and had a semi-structured interview at presentation, including specifically eliciting any history of trauma. Patients with secondary RBD to recognized causes were excluded from the study. Patients with iRBD were categorized into three groups according to reported trauma history: (1) No history of trauma, (2) traumatic experience at least 12 months prior to RBD symptom onset, and (3) traumatic experience within 12 months of RBD symptom onset. Idiopathic RBD duration was defined as the interval between estimated onset of RBD symptoms and last hospital visit or death. Follow-up duration was defined as the interval between iRBD diagnosis and last hospital visit or death.Results: In a follow-up period of up to 18 years, no patient who experienced trauma within 12 months preceding their iRBD diagnosis received a diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disorder (n = 35), whereas 38% of patients without trauma within the 12 months of symptom onset developed a neurodegenerative illness. These patients were also significantly more likely to have a family history of α-synucleinopathy or tauopathy.Conclusions: The development of RBD within 12 months of experiencing a traumatic life event, indistinguishable clinically from iRBD, did not lead to phenoconversion to a neurodegenerative disorder even after 18 years (mean follow up 6 years). We suggest that a sub-type of RBD be established and classified as secondary RBD due to trauma. Additionally, we advocate that a thorough psychological and trauma history be undertaken in all patients presenting with dream enactment behaviors (DEB).

Abstract Background Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) affects 1–2% of people over 60 years of age and presents a high risk of developing a neurodegenerative disorder from the group of synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. Therefore, screening tools are needed. In 2007, the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire (RBD-SQ) was developed and has been translated into several languages. The aim of study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Czech version of the RBD-SQ in a mixed population of sleep clinic patients, supplemented by healthy volunteers and RBD patients. Methods Participants included 81 iRBD patients, 205 patients with other sleep disorders (obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder, other parasomnias, or central hypersomnias including narcolepsy) and 20 healthy volunteers. Results The mean RBD-SQ score in the iRBD patients was 9.4 ± 2.8 points, and in the non-RBD group it was 4.5 ± 3.0 (P

Narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC) is a chronic neurological disease with suggested autoimmune etiopathogenesis. Nicotine stimulates central nervous system and smoking increases the risk of autoimmune diseases. Assessment of smoking habits and its correlation to clinical parameters among 87 adult NC patients (38 male, 49 female) included night polysomnography and multiple sleep latency test. In our sample, 43.7% NC patients were regular smokers, and 19.5% former smokers compared to 22.2%, and 12.6%, respectively, in the general population. Patients started to smoke in the mean age of 20.0 (SD ±6.0) years. 72.2% of NC smokers started to smoke before the onset of NC and the mean of the delay between smoking onset and NC onset was 9.1 (±5.8) years. We found a direct correlation between smoking duration and the number of awakenings, duration of N1 sleep, REM sleep latency, and apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), and, on the contrary, indirect correlation between smoking duration and N3 sleep duration, showing that smoking duration consistently correlates with sleep macrostructure. Smoking is highly prevalent in NC and has relationship with clinical features of NC.

Abstract REM sleep without atonia (RWA) is the hallmark of isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and is caused by neurodegeneration of brainstem structures. Previously, quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) was shown to detect microstructural tissue changes in neurodegenerative diseases. The goal of the study was to compare brainstem magnetic susceptibility (MS) in iRBD and controls using the voxel-based QSM approach and to examine the association between brainstem MS and severity of RWA in iRBD. Sixty iRBD patients and 41 healthy controls were included in the study. Phasic, tonic, mixed RWA and SINBAR score was quantified. QSM maps were reconstructed with QSMbox software from a multi-gradient-echo sequence acquired at 3T MRI system and normalized using a custom T1 template. Voxel-based analysis with age and gender as covariates was performed using a two-sample t-test model for between-group comparison and using a linear regression model for association with the RWA parameters. Statistical maps were generated using threshold free cluster enhancement with p-value p