|
# # # # People diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder (or RBD) have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s. RBD is a sleep condition in which the affected individual physically acts out their dreams as they sleep. Usually when we are dreaming, our bodies become momentarily paralysed. But sufferers of RBD loss this ability and begin moving about in bed, reacting to their dreams. Recently, researchers have been testing a treatment for vertigo (called Tanganil) in people with RBD, and the results of a small pilot study are rather remarkable. In today’s post, we will look at what RBD is, what the new pilot study found, and what this could mean for Parkinson’s. # # # # |
Dreaming. Source: Psypost
When we sleep, our brain (and body) pass through different phases of slumber. In general, there are two broad segments of sleep:
- Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and
- Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
And we pass through these phases in a wave-like cycles across the night:
Stages of sleep. Source: Wikipedia
In addition, there are different stages that make up the NREM sleep parts of these cycles (stage 1-4, on the left hand side of the image above), which we pass through on our way down to stage 4 and back again.
These stages exhibit different patterns of brain activity, which – when recorded – look like this:
Brain activity during stages of sleep. Source: Homesteadschools
The brain is most active during REM sleep, and this is the period during which we dream. The first period of REM sleep begins about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. It typically lasts for approximately 10 minutes. Each period of REM sleep for the rest of the night gets longer and longer.
When we dream, there are cells in the brainstem region of the central nervous system that inhibit our ability to move. So while we may be dreaming of being a Hollywood action movie star at the Oscars, or perhaps walking on the moon, or maybe turning up at your high school reunion naked, our bodies are momentarily paralysed. One assumes that this mechanism has evolved within our species over time for our own safety – to prevent us from hurting ourselves or others. It is interesting to note that the phenomenon of sleepwalking occurs during the deeper states of NREM sleep when we are not temporarily paralysed (source).
This is very interesting, but what does it have to do with Parkinson’s?
The Science of Parkinson's 