Sleep, digestive issues linked to Parkinson’s psychosis: Study

People with Parkinson’s disease who experience digestive issues or probable rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder may be as much as twice as likely to develop symptoms of psychosis, a study found. Understanding what predicts early-onset psychosis in Parkinson’s can help doctors identify at-risk patients sooner, enabling them…

Mitochondrial DNA damage evident before Parkinson’s: Study

People with REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition that often precedes Parkinson’s disease, frequently have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, a study found. “Patients with REM sleep behavior disorder, both those who subsequently developed Parkinson’s disease and those who did not, had more mitochondrial DNA circulating in the cerebrospinal fluid…

Inflammatory Markers, Sleep Disorder Linked In Parkinson’s

Blood levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), two indicators of systemic inflammation, were associated with the presence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in people with Parkinson’s disease, a study found. Patients with RBD also had worse cognition than those who did…

Levels of 2 Key Proteins Not Seen to Be Altered by REM Sleep Disorder

People with Parkinson’s disease and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder — marked by acting out dreams, sometimes violently — showed no significant differences in their levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, an inflammatory protein, and orexin, a protective protein, relative to patients without this sleep disorder or people…

Thrashing and Gnashing: Managing Parkinson’s Bedtime Challenges

Over the years, I have visited with many neurologists across multiple states regarding my Parkinson’s disease (PD). In their clinical interviews, they ask if I’m thrashing in my sleep. Then, they ask Mrs. Dr. C. It seems that thrashing in one’s sleep an important diagnostic symptom for Parkinson’s. In a…