The relationship between actigraphically defined sleep disturbance and REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract: Aim: In this study, we sought to evaluate the utility of actigraphy for examining symptoms of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RSBD). Methods: Twenty-two patients with idiopathic Parkinson''s Disease (mean age=63.4 years, SD=7.5) underwent neurological assessment and completed sleep diaries, self-report sleep questionnaires and 2-weeks of actigraphy. They also completed the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder questionnaire and were classified as screening negative (RSBD−, n =9) or positive (RSBD+, n =13) for RSBD according to published criteria. Key outcome data were the number of wake bouts and duration of arousals during the sleep interval as determined by actigraphy. Results: Patients classified as RSBD+ demonstrated a higher number of wake bouts than those who were RSBD− (p =0.011). Conclusions: These results suggest that actigraphy may be a viable tool to assist in the early identification of RSBD. In turn, this could guide early intervention approaches. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]