Sleep Disorders Associated With Movement Disorders and Dementia

ABSTRACT

Sleep disorders are common, occurring in both healthy elderly people and in association with neurodegenerative diseases, sometimes preceding other clinical manifestations of those diseases. The sleep disorders of neurodegenerative diseases include insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnia, excessive nocturnal motor activity, circadian sleep-wake rhythm disturbances, and sleep breathing disorders. This review addresses the neuroanatomical basis of sleep, the associated regulatory mechanisms and neurotransmitters, and the relationship between cognitive function and sleep. Furthermore, the clinical features of sleep disorders in a wide variety of neurodegenerative diseases are reviewed, including movement disorders and dementia.