Sringean et al recently published an article in the Journal of Sleep that looked to better understand both the macro sleep architecture and characterise rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RWA) using the SINBAR excessive electromyographic (EMG) montage (including mentalis and upper extremity muscles) in early and advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD).
They assessed RWA in 30 patients with early- and advanced-stage of PD according to Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Clinical Diagnostic Criteria. They found that advanced-stage PD patients had significantly higher tonic EMG activity in the mentalis muscle and a higher SINBAR EMG index than early-stage PD patients.
They also found that the SINBAR EMG index correlated with disease duration. The reported worsening of RWA with disease progression might represent a novel marker of PD progression.
The authors note that this was the first to evaluate RWA using the SINBAR EMG montage in PD patients in the early- and advanced-stage.
