Cortical activation in REM behavior disorder mimics voluntary movement. An electroencephalography study

Motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease improve during REM sleep behavior disorder movement episodes. Our aim was to study cortical activity during these movement episodes, in patients with and without Parkinson's disease, in order to investigate the cortical involvement in the generation of its electromyographic activity and its potential relationship with Parkinson's disease.

We looked retrospectively in our polysomnography database for patients with REM sleep behavior disorder, analyzing fifteen patients in total, seven with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder and eight associated with Parkinson's disease. We selected segments of REM sleep with the presence of movements (evidenced by electromyographic activation), and studied movement-related changes in cortical activity by averaging the electroencephalographic signal (premotor potential) and by means of time/frequency transforms.

We found a premotor potential and an energy decrease of alpha-beta oscillatory activity preceding the onset of electromyographic activity, together with an increase of gamma activity for the duration of the movement. All these changes were similarly present in REM sleep behavior disorder patients with and without Parkinson's disease.

Movement-related changes in electroencephalographic activity observed in REM sleep behavior disorder are similar to those observed during voluntary movements, regardless of the presence of Parkinson's disease motor symptoms.

These results suggest a main involvement of the cortex in the generation of the movements during REM sleep.