A sleep disorder more than three decades later

摘要

In 1986, Schenck, Ettinger, Bundlie, and Mahowald published their seminal paper, describing a new category of parasomnia occurring in people with rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep-idiopathic (also known as isolated) REM sleep behaviour disorder. Follow up of these cases led to the recognition of this parasomnia being prodromal for Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies, and was a substantial impetus for increased interest in sleep disorders across specialities. The disorder provides a window of opportunity to understand the neuronal networks involved in REM sleep, the clinical impact on patients, and the mechanism of progression to Parkinson's disease, with the exciting future possibility of arresting a progressive disorder in the pre-symptomatic stage.