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REM sleep behavior disorder as a complex condition with heterogeneous underlying disorders: clinical management and prognostic implications [Commentary]

  • Neurology • Review
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To review how REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a complex condition with heterogeneous underlying disorders; and to review clinical management issues and prognostic implications.

Methods

PubMed literature search and contents from the first textbook of RBD (2018).

Results

RBD, with its core objective diagnostic feature of REM-without-atonia (RWA) documented by video-polysomnography, can emerge during the entire lifespan, and can initially present as an idiopathic (isolated) condition (iRBD), or can be associated with a broad spectrum of disorders including narcolepsy, alpha-synuclein neurodegenerative disorders (esp. Parkinson’s disease [PD] and dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB]), paraneoplastic neurological syndromes and autoimmune disorders, CNS lesions (e.g., tumors, stroke), other neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders (PTSD, mood disorders), can be triggered by antidepressant/other medications, and can emerge acutely with drug withdrawal states, toxic-metabolic states, etc. Important clinical issues include the evolution of iRBD to PD/DLB in most middle-aged and older patients over a period of years to several decades, with compelling prognostic implications, along with the hope of enrolling these patients in future clinical trials to test promising disease-modifying therapies. Also, the strong link of RBD with narcolepsy needs further investigation. Parasomnia overlap disorder involves RBD and NREM parasomnias that can be idiopathic or linked with a broad range of clinical disorders. RBD usually responds to therapy consisting mainly of melatonin and/or clonazepam at bedtime. The complex associations of RBD with OSA are being increasingly investigated. RBD mimics with dream-enactment need to be recognized for diagnostic and management purposes, including severe OSA, NREM parasomnias, PLMD, nocturnal seizures, and other conditions.

Conclusions

The clinical and research RBD fields span across the disciplines of neurology, pulmonary, psychiatry, psychology, and pediatric sleep medicine, along with physical medicine and rehabilitation medicine, other allied disciplines, and the basic and clinical neurosciences.

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  1. Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center and Departments of Psychiatry, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Carlos H. Schenck

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Note added in proof: The following paper has just been accepted for publication that is highly relevant to the OSA and RBD section of this review: Lee W-J, Sunwoo J-S, Byun J-I, et al. (2022) Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder combined with obstructive sleep apnea: Response to treatment and its associated factors. Sleep Med; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.11.021.

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Schenck, C.H. REM sleep behavior disorder as a complex condition with heterogeneous underlying disorders: clinical management and prognostic implications [Commentary]. Sleep Breath 26, 1289–1298 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-022-02574-6

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