REM sleep disorder, a precursor to neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers from the Barcelona-Idibaps Clinic have shown that isolated rapid eye movement behavior disorder (iRBD) is an early stage of neurodegenerative diseases associated with the protein alpha-synuclein.

Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are some of the synucleinopathies that can occur or be detected in the early stages using iRBD, the clinic explained in a statement this Wednesday.

The team obtained evidence from a study of post-mortem brain tissue, the first study with a large number of cases to confirm this relationship in a “detailed and conclusive manner”, which was published in the journal The Lancet Neurology.

Early detection of iRBD may serve as a biomarker for the progression of alpha-synucleopathies, which is “important for early detection and clinical intervention.”

Moreover, identifying multiple coexisting pathologies opens up “new opportunities” for the development of treatments that target not only alpha-synuclein, but also other pathological proteins.

The study suggests that clinical trials that combine different pathological proteins may be a “promising” strategy for preventing or delaying the onset of Parkinson’s disease and dementia in people with iRBD.