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Related Concept Videos

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder01:15

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

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REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of muscle paralysis that normally occurs during the REM phase of sleep. This absence allows individuals to physically act out their dreams, which are often vivid and disturbing. Common behaviors exhibited during episodes include kicking, punching, and yelling. These actions can be dangerous, potentially leading to injuries for the person with RBD or their bed partner.
RBD is significantly associated with...
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Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

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Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
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Stages of Sleep01:22

Stages of Sleep

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Sleep progresses through distinct stages, each characterized by specific brain wave patterns and physiological responses ranging from wakefulness to stages of non-rapid eye movement, known as non-REM, to rapid eye movement, referred to as REM. Understanding these stages helps in recognizing how sleep supports various bodily and cognitive functions.
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Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking01:17

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Somnambulism, commonly known as sleepwalking, involves individuals engaging in activities ranging from simple walking to more complex behaviors such as driving. Sleepwalking typically occurs during the slow-wave sleep stages 3 and 4 early in the night when the person is not dreaming, contradicting the myth that sleepwalkers are acting out their dreams.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
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Handwriting patterns in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

Roberta Torricelli1, Jack Es Kenny1, Emma Bache2

  • 1Centre for Preventive Neurology, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.

Journal of Parkinson'S Disease
|February 18, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Handwriting analysis in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) reveals distinct patterns. A new scale accurately detects early Parkinson's disease hallmarks in iRBD patients.

Keywords:
Parkinson's diseasegraphologyhandwritingisolated RBD

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Movement Disorders

Background:

  • Handwriting changes are early indicators of Parkinson's disease (PD).
  • Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a strong predictor of future PD.
  • Handwriting alterations in iRBD require further investigation for early PD detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate handwriting characteristics in individuals with iRBD.
  • To develop a rating scale for identifying early clinical hallmarks of PD in iRBD patients.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study compared 33 individuals with polysomnography-confirmed iRBD to 29 controls.
  • Participants completed a handwriting task (sentence copying).
  • A graphologist developed a scale assessing features like micrographia, tremor, and pen pressure; experts also provided global assessments.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with iRBD exhibited slower writing speeds compared to controls.
  • Key differentiating features in iRBD included hidden tremor, sentence slope, and pen pressure.
  • The developed handwriting scale demonstrated higher classification accuracy for iRBD than expert global assessment (AUC 0.76 vs 0.62).

Conclusions:

  • Writing speed, tremor, pen pressure, and sentence slope are significant handwriting features in iRBD.
  • These features may represent early patterns indicative of prodromal Parkinson's disease.
  • Further research is warranted to refine these handwriting markers for early PD detection.