Recent data on rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in patients with Parkinson disease: analysis of behaviors, movements, and periodic limb movements

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a fascinating parasomnia in which patients are able to enact their dreams because of a lack of muscle atonia during REM sleep. RBD represents a unique window into the dream world. Frequently associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), RBD raises various issues about dream modifications in this pathology and about aggressiveness during RBD episodes in placid patients during wakefulness. Studies on these behaviors have underlined their non-stereotyped, action-filled and violent characteristics but also their isomorphism with dream content. Complex, learnt behaviors may reflect the cortical involvement in this parasomnia but the more frequent elementary movements and the associated periodic limb movements during sleep also implicate the brainstem. Surprisingly, patients with PD have an improvement of their movements during their RBD as if they were disease-free. Also not yet understood, this improvement of movement during REM sleep raises issues about the pathways involved in RBD and about the possibility of using this pathway to improve movement in PD during the day.