Motor-Behavioral Episodes in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Phasic Events During REM Sleep

Study Objectives: To investigate if sudden-onset motor-behavioral episodes in REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are associated with phasic events of REM sleep, and to explore the potential meaning of such an association. Design: Observational review analysis. Setting: Tertiary sleep center. Patients: Twelve individuals (11 males; mean age 67.6 +/- 7.4 years) affected by idiopathic RBD, displaying a total of 978 motor-behavioral episodes during nocturnal in-laboratory video-PSG. Interventions: N/A Measurements and Results: The motor activity displayed was primitive in 69.1% and purposeful/semi-purposeful in 30.9% of the motor-behavioral episodes recorded. Sleeptalking was significantly more associated with purposeful/semi-purposeful motor activity than crying and/or incomprehensible muttering (71.0% versus 21.4%, P < 0.005). In 58.2% of the motor-behavioral episodes, phasic EEG-EOG events (rapid eye movements [REMs], alpha bursts, or sawtooth waves [STWs]) occurred simultaneously. Each variable (REMs, STWs, alpha bursts) was associated more with purposeful/semi-purposeful than with primitive movements (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Motor-behavioral episodes in RBD were significantly more likely to occur in association with phasic than with tonic periods of REM sleep. The presence of REMs, a bursts and STWs was found to be more frequent in more complex episodes. We hypothesize that motor-behavioral episodes in RBD are likely to occur when the brain, during REM sleep, is in a state of increased instability (presence of a bursts) and experiencing stronger stimulation of visual areas (REMs).