Sleep Behavior Disorder Linked to Brain Disease

According to researchers at the University of Toronto, rapid-eye-movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is the best current predictor of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and forms of dementia. The disorder occurs during the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage of sleep and causes people to act out their dreams, often resulting in injury to themselves and/or bed partner, while in healthy brains, muscles are temporarily paralyzed during sleep to prevent this from happening. Significantly, “[RBD] is not just a precursor but also a critical warning sign of neurodegeneration that can lead to brain disease,” says associate professor and lead author Dr. John Peever, whose research is published in Trends in Neurosciences. “In fact, as many as 80 to 90 percent of people with RBD will develop a brain disease.” To read more about the study, click here.