Microstructural Changes in the Tuberal Hypothalamus Correlate with Daytime Sleepiness in Lewy Body Disorders

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a disabling symptom of Lewy body disorders (LBD). The hypothalamus is a key sleep-wake regulator and is involved in Lewy pathology, but its contribution to EDS in LBD remains unclear.

To use diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect hypothalamic microstructure and determine its relationship to EDS symptoms in LBD in an exploratory investigation.

We studied 102 patients with clinically defined LBD (Parkinson's disease [PD], n = 93; PD dementia, n = 4; and dementia with Lewy bodies, n = 5) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) within 2 years of MRI. Mean diffusivity (MD) was compared between EDS+ (ESS ≥ 10, n = 37) and EDS- (ESS < 10, n = 65) groups in three hypothalamic subregions, covarying for age, sex, and clinical variables. Secondary analyses tested correlations between subregion MD and ESS, global cognition, motor scores, and other clinical variables, and between subregion volume and ESS.

MD was increased in EDS+ compared with EDS- in the whole hypothalamus (Cohen's d = 0.6, P = 0.015, β = 0.106 ± 0.043), superior tuberal subregion (Cohen's d = 0.56,  = 0.021, β = 0.093 ± 0.040), and inferior tuberal subregion (Cohen's d = 0.64, P = 0.009, β = 0.174 ± 0.065). No difference was seen in the posterior subregion (Cohen's d = 0.15,  = 0.530, β = 0.028 ± 0.044). Significant correlations with continuous ESS were seen in the MD of whole hypothalamus (R² = 0.11, P = 5.2e-4), superior tuberal (R² = 0.12, P = 3.3e-4), and inferior tuberal (R² = 0.11,  = 6.7e-4) subregions. There was no correlation of hypothalamic MD with cognitive, motor, or other clinical symptoms, and no correlation of whole/subregional hypothalamic volumes with ESS.

Daytime sleepiness associates with increased MD in the tuberal hypothalamus in an LBD cohort. Compromised integrity of the tuberal hypothalamus may contribute to EDS symptoms in LBD. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.