[Disorders of nocturnal sleep in Huntington chorea]

A polygraphic study of nocturnal sleep was conducted in 11 patients with Huntington's chorea. It was found that Stage I sleep and the phase of rapid sleep (PRS) were prolonged while delta-sleep was considerably shortened. This was accompanied by an increase in the latent periods of all stages of slow sleep and the shortening of the latent period of PRS. The patients displayed a tendency toward an increased number of sleep spindles and a considerable decrease in the delta-index. Patients with Huntington's chorea showed an increase in body movements during sleep. Dissociations were detected in polygraphic characteristics of individual phases of sleep. The reduction of delta-sleep is related to cerebral cortex atrophy while the increase in PRS is explained by neurotransmitter disturbances characteristic of this disease.