Sleep disorders associated with Parkinson's disease: Role of dopamine, epidemiology, and clinical scales of assessment

Shyamal H. Mehta, John C. Morgan, Kapil D. Sethi

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sleep dysfunction is common among patients with Parkinson's disease and occurs in approximately two thirds of patients. The problems range from nocturnal issues such as difficulty with sleep initiation, sleep fragmentation, disturbance of circadian rhythm, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, to daytime problems such as excessive daytime sleepiness. Frequent nighttime awakening and sleep disruption are the most common sleep problems in Parkinson's disease. Dopamine plays an important role in maintaining wakefulness. To improve sleep in Parkinson's disease, it is important to achieve the critical balance of adequate dopaminergic therapy and control of symptoms. Increased dopaminergic agents can cause dyskinesias and painful dystonia, and undertreatment can cause nighttime akinesia, rigidity, and worse quality of sleep. Other nondopaminergic drugs commonly used in Parkinson's disease can also affect sleep. In patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus has a favorable impact on sleep quality and sleep architecture.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6-11
Number of pages6
JournalCNS Spectrums
Volume13
Issue number3 SUPPL. 4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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