Ozzy Osbourne reveals he has Parkinson's in emotional interview
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Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the brain. It causes problems like shaking and stiffness that get worse over time. Sleep disorders, however, are one of the most frequent non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), usually increasing in frequency over the course of the disease and disability progression.
One study has revealed a certain disorder in the brain is linked to the area where the dopamine-producing nerve cells are found, suggesting the disorder is an early warning sign of Parkinson’s disease.
Published in The Lancet, the study found that patients suffering from a sleep disorder known as rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) have a risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
The study also found a possibility of dementia in the future, because of a lack of dopamine in the brain.
According to the Mayo Clinic: “Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder is a sleep disorder in which you physically act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams with vocal sounds and sudden, often violent arm and leg movements during REM sleep — sometimes called dream-enacting behaviour.”
“These patients have an inflammation of the brain in the area where the dopamine-producing nerve cells are found,” says one of the researchers behind the study, Morten Gersel Stokholm from Aarhus University and the PET Centre at Aarhus University Hospital.
“With this study, we have gained new knowledge about the disease processes in the brain in the early initial stages of the disease development.
“The idea is for this knowledge to be used to determine which patients with the sleep disorder will later develop Parkinson’s disease.
“At the same time, this is also knowledge that can help to develop drugs which can stop or slow the development of the diseases,” explained Morten Gersel Stokholm about the sleep disorder which most often affects people aged 50-70, and more frequently men than women.
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The causes of sleep disorders in PD are numerous, including the neurodegeneration process itself, which can disrupt the networks regulating the sleep–wake cycle and deplete a large number of cerebral amines possibly playing a role in the initiation and maintenance of sleep, noted a study in the National Library of Health.
Despite the significant prevalence of sleep disorders in PD patients, few clinical trials on sleep disorder treatments have been conducted.
The appropriate diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in PD can lead to the consolidation of nocturnal sleep, the enhancement of daytime alertness, and the amelioration of the quality of life of the patients.
Men are slightly more likely to get Parkinson’s disease than women.
Around one in 20 people with the condition first experience symptoms when they’re under 40.
The NHS states: “See a GP if you’re concerned that you may have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
“They’ll ask about the problems you’re experiencing and may refer you to a specialist for further tests.”
Cause of the condition
Parkinson’s is caused by a loss of nerve cells in a specific part of the brain.
These nerve cells are usually used to help the body send messages between the brain and the nervous system.
There are about 145,000 people in the UK living with Parkinson’s disease.
It’s thought around one in 500 people are affected by Parkinson’s disease.
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