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Related Concept Videos

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder01:15

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REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of muscle paralysis that normally occurs during the REM phase of sleep. This absence allows individuals to physically act out their dreams, which are often vivid and disturbing. Common behaviors exhibited during episodes include kicking, punching, and yelling. These actions can be dangerous, potentially leading to injuries for the person with RBD or their bed partner.
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Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurological disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs due to uncomfortable sensations. These sensations typically occur during periods of rest or inactivity, particularly when lying down or sitting, and can severely disrupt sleep.
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Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by pervasive, uncontrolled sleepiness and other sleep disturbances. One of its hallmark symptoms is an abrupt transition to REM sleep upon falling asleep, which causes symptoms typically associated with this phase to occur unexpectedly during wakefulness. These include the following symptoms, which typically last from a minute or two to half an hour.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
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Subtle gait changes in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.

Eric M McDade1, Brendon P Boot, Teresa J H Christianson

  • 1Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Movement Disorders : Official Journal of the Movement Disorder Society
|October 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary

People with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) show subtle gait changes, including slower velocity and cadence. These early gait abnormalities may help identify individuals at higher risk for synucleinopathy development.

Keywords:
REM sleep behavior disordergaitgait variability

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Movement Disorders

Background:

  • Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is frequently linked to underlying synucleinopathies, such as Lewy body disease.
  • Gait disturbances are common in synucleinopathies, suggesting early gait assessment in RBD patients could predict future parkinsonism or cognitive decline.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether subtle gait abnormalities are present in individuals with probable REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) before the onset of overt parkinsonism.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Mayo Sleep Questionnaire to identify 42 probable RBD cases and 492 controls.
  • Employed an automated gait analysis system to assess gait velocity, cadence, and stride dynamics.
  • Compared gait parameters between RBD cases and controls, who were similar in age and cognitive/motor function scores.

Main Results:

  • Probable RBD was associated with significantly decreased gait velocity and cadence.
  • Individuals with probable RBD exhibited increased double limb support variability, stride time variability, and swing time variability compared to controls.
  • These gait changes were detected despite similar age and baseline UPDRS and MMSE scores between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Subtle gait alterations are present in probable RBD patients, preceding overt clinical parkinsonism.
  • Gait analysis, when combined with RBD diagnosis, may serve as a valuable screening tool for synucleinopathies.
  • Early identification of gait abnormalities in RBD could aid in risk stratification for neurodegenerative diseases.