Genetic Basis of Sleep Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism

Sleep dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, and excessive daytime sleepiness. These sleep-related manifestations may serve as prodromal signs of PD, particularly in carriers of pathogenic mutations in the genes implicated in familial and sporadic forms of PD. Study findings underscore the importance of differentiating mutation-specific sleep phenotypes in PD. The genetic basis of sleep dysfunction in PD remains poorly understood and relatively unexplored. Identification of genetically at-risk patients and determining the genotype-phenotype relationships could aid in the early identification of PD subtypes and inform targeted therapeutic strategies for variant carriers.