Nighttime Sleep Disturbances May Signal Onset of Parkinson’s orโค Dementia Years Before Diagnosis
PARIS – New research suggests that disruptions duringโค Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, detectable through โขanalysis of nocturnal movements, could serve as an early warningโ sign forโค neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and various forms of dementia, potentially years before the emergenceโ of clinical symptoms.โ
Scientistsโ have โidentified a correlation between inflammation affecting brain regions responsible for dopamineโค production – a neurotransmitter crucial for motor control and cognitive functions – and these sleep โdisturbances, known as TCSP (presumably Total Corporal Sleep โคPeriod).โ This same neurological area is also known to โขbe vulnerableโ in the early stagesโค of Parkinson’s and dementia.
The ability to identify these “alarm signals” early could allow for therapeutic interventions before โคthe onset of โmore recognizable symptoms, a critical developmentโข given theโ increasing โขprevalence of dementia in aging populations.
Currently, doctors lack objective tools to accurately assess the severity of sleep-related โsymptoms.โข This new technology offers the potential forโข personalized treatment plans tailored to โคindividual โขpatientโค needs. Simplified and more accessible โขscreening could quickly identify individuals at higherโฃ risk.
Furthermore, the technology facilitates longitudinal โpatientโ monitoring, tracking โฃthe evolution of nocturnal disorders over time to better โขunderstand disease progression and the effectiveness of โขpreventative measures. Researchers believe this represents a important step towards more precise predictive medicine, utilizing nighttime signals as valuable indicators in the fightโฃ against neurodegenerative diseases.