Circadian rhythms of melatonin and peripheral clock gene expression in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder

To evaluate changes in the expression of clock genes and melatonin levels in patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) as a potential early stage of synucleinopathies.

We assessed the rhythmicity of circadian clock genes using real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and 24-h blood melatonin profiles using radio-immunoassay in 10 RBD patients and nine age-matched controls.

The RBD patients did not show circadian rhythmicity for clock genes Per2, Bmal1, and Nr1d1 but the rhythmicity of Per 1 remained, and the amplitude of Per3 was diminished. The 24-h melatonin rhythm did not differ between RBD patients and healthy control subjects. Melatonin profile in RBD patients was delayed by 2 h compared to controls, the habitual sleep phases were phase delayed by about 1 h, however no phase shift occurred in any of the clock genes studied. The control group had stable acrophases of melatonin rhythms of approximately 5 h whereas the RBD patients had a more dispersed range over 11 h.

Our results suggest that RBD could be associated with altered expression of clock genes and delayed melatonin secretion. Thus, we argue that circadian system dysregulation could play a role in RBD.