Physiological movements during sleep in healthy adults across all ages: a video-polysomnographic analysis of non-codified movements reveals sex differences and distinct motor patterns.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: to define sleep-related movements in healthy adults according to sex and age. METHODS: sleep-related movements from 50 video-polysomnography (vPSG) recordings of 27 men and 23 women, from 20 to 70 years old, were classified according to ICDS-3-TR and AASM criteria (codified movements); the remaining movements (non-codified movements) were described according to type (elementary movements-EMs or complex movements-CMs), topography (focal, segmental, multifocal or generalized) and, if present, were assigned to motor patterns (MPs). RESULTS: of 4057 movements analyzed, 54.6% (2216/4057) were non-codified (1861 CMs, 355 EMs) and 1841 were codified. CMs were mainly generalized (70%) while EMs were multifocal (40%) or focal (30%). The median movement index (MI; movement/hour) was 11 and the median duration was 4 s. MI decreased from stages N1/REM>N2>N3; men showed a higher MI. An MP was assigned to 2204 codified and non-codified movements, mainly stretching (50%) and scratching (30%). Stretching increased in REM sleep while food-carrying behaviors increased in N2. Men showed more food-carrying behaviors, changes of body positions and comfort movements while stretching was more common in women. Younger subjects exhibited more food-carrying behaviors, while scratching and stretching were more prevalent in the middle-aged group. Older subjects showed more changes in body positions and comfort movements. CONCLUSIONS: 54.6% of sleep-related movements in healthy subjects were non-codified and characterized by motor sequences that can configure MPs. Our comprehensive classification method allows a detailed description of the physiological movements underlying differential motor control during sleep stages influenced by age and sex.

Diagnosis and Management of NREM Sleep Parasomnias in Children and Adults.

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep parasomnias are recurrent abnormal behaviors emerging as incomplete arousals out of NREM sleep. Mounting evidence on NREM sleep parasomnias calls for an update of clinical and therapeutical strategies. In the current review, we summarize the state of the art and provide the necessary background to stimulate a critical revision of diagnostic criteria of disorders of arousal (DoA), the most common NREM sleep parasomnia. In particular, we highlight the poor sensitivity of the diagnostic items related to amnesia and absence of conscious experiences during DoA episodes, encourage the role of video-polysomnography and home-video recordings in the diagnostic and treatment work-up, and suggest three levels of diagnostic certainty based on clinical and objective findings. Furthermore, we highlight current gaps of knowledge that prevent the definition of standard guidelines and future research avenues.

Violent and Complex Behaviors and Non-Restorative Sleep Are the Main Features of Disorders of Arousal in Adulthood: Real Picture or a More Severe Phenotype?

Disorders of arousal (DoA) are NREM parasomnias characterized by motor and emotional behaviors emerging from incomplete arousals from deep sleep. DoA are largely present in pediatric populations, a period during which they are labeled as self-limited manifestations. However, an extensive literature has shown that DoA can persist in adulthood, with different characteristics from childhood DoA. Adult DoA patients usually report excessive daily sleepiness, sleep-related violence during DoA episodes or potentially harmful behaviors, which are rare in childhood. The semeiological features of DoA episodes in adulthood may complicate differential diagnoses with other motor manifestations during sleep, in particular sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy. However, it cannot be excluded that adults with DoA attending sleep centers constitute a more severe phenotype, thus not being representative of adult DoA in the general population. Video-polysomnographic studies of DoA document a spectrum of motor patterns of different complexities, the simplest of which may often go unnoticed. Despite the different complexities of the episodes, neurophysiologic studies showed the co-existence of deep sleep and wakefulness during DoA episodes or even before their onset. These aspects make DoA an ideal model to investigate the mechanisms regulating local sleep, sleep arousal and cognitive functions including spatial and temporal orientation, attention or memory.

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization and death for COVID-19 in people with Parkinson's disease or parkinsonism over a 15-month period: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The patterns of long term risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization for COVID-19 and related death are uncertain in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) or parkinsonism (PS). The aim of the study was to quantify these risks compared to a control population cohort, during the period March 2020-May 2021, in Bologna, northern Italy. METHOD: ParkLink Bologna cohort (759 PD; 192 PS) and controls (9,226) anonymously matched (ratio 1:10) for sex, age, district, comorbidity were included. Data were analysed in the whole period and in the two different pandemic waves (March-May 2020 and October 2020-May 2021). RESULTS: Adjusted hazard ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.3 (95% CI 1.04-1.7) in PD and 1.9 (1.3-2.8) in PS compared to the controls. The trend was detected in both the pandemic waves. Adjusted hazard ratio of hospitalization for COVID-19 was 1.1 (95% CI 0.8-1.7) in PD and 1.8 (95% CI 0.97-3.1) in PS. A higher risk of hospital admission was detected in PS only in the first wave. The 30-day mortality risk after hospitalization was higher (p=0.048) in PS (58%) than in PD (19%) and controls (26%). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with controls, after adjustment for key covariates, people with PD and PS showed a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection throughout the first 15 months of the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalization risk was increased only in people with PS and only during the first wave. This group of patients was burdened by a very high risk of death after infection and hospitalization.

The Indirect Impact of COVID-19 on Major Clinical Outcomes of People With Parkinson's Disease or Parkinsonism: A Cohort Study.

Background: The indirect impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on major clinical outcomes of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) or other parkinsonism is unknown. Objectives: The study aimed to (1) describe changes in healthcare services during the first epidemic bout in people with PD or parkinsonism; (2) compare the occurrence of hospitalization for any PD-related major clinical outcomes in 2020 with 2019; (3) investigate the factors, including changes in healthcare services, associated with major clinical outcomes and death. Methods: All healthcare services of the province of Bologna and major clinical outcomes were assessed through a record linkage study (ParkLink Bologna) using clinical data and health databases. Same analyses were performed in a random cohort of controls matched for age, sex, district of residence, and comorbidities with the ParkLink cohort (ratio of 1:10). Results: A cohort of subjects with PD (759) or other parkinsonism (192) was included together with a cohort of controls (9,226). All indicators of healthcare services dropped at least below 50% during the lockdown period in all cohorts, mostly impacting physiotherapy in people with PD (-93%, 95% CI 88-96%). In 2020, compared to 2019, a three-fold risk of major injuries (RR 3.0, 95% CI 1.5-6.2) and infections (RR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5-7.2), excluding COVID-19, was observed only in people with PD, and neither in people with parkinsonism nor in controls. Decreased physiotherapy was associated with the occurrence of at least one major clinical outcome (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.1-9.8) in people with PD. Experiencing at least one major clinical outcome was the strongest risk factor for death (OR 30.4, 95% CI 11.1-83.4) in people with PD. Conclusions: During the first COVID-19 epidemic peak, healthcare services were drastically reduced in a province of northern Italy, regardless of the disease condition. However, compared to 2019, in 2020, only people with PD had a higher risk of major clinical outcomes, that were associated with higher mortality. Strategies to maintain physical activity in people with PD should be implemented in possible future health emergencies.

EEG Activation Does Not Differ in Simple and Complex Episodes of Disorders of Arousal: A Spectral Analysis Study.

Purpose: Disorders of arousal (DoA) are characterized by incomplete awakening from NREM sleep, with the admixture of both deep sleep and wake EEG activity. Previous observations suggested that changes in EEG activity could be detected in the seconds preceding DoA episodes. The aims of this work were to characterize the topography of EEG spectral changes prior to DoA episodes and to investigate whether or not behavioral complexity could be predicted by changes in EEG immediately preceding behavioral onsets. Patients and Methods: We collected 103 consecutive video-polysomnographic recordings of 53 DoA adult patients and classified all episodes as simple, rising and complex arousal movements. For each episode, a 5-second window preceding its motor onset ("pre-event") and a 60-second window from 2 to 3 minutes before the episodes ("baseline") were compared. Subsequently, a between-group comparison was performed for the pre-event of simpler versus the more complex episodes. Results: Spectral analysis over 325 DoA episodes showed an absolute significant increase prior to DoA episodes in all frequency bands excluding sigma, which displayed the opposite effect. In normalized maps, the increase was relatively higher over the central/anterior areas for both slow and fast frequency bands. No significant differences emerged from the comparison between simpler and more complex episodes. Conclusion: Taken together, these results show that deep sleep and wake-like EEG rhythms coexist over overlapping areas before DoA episodes, suggesting an alteration of local sleep mechanisms. Episodes of different complexity are preceded by a similar EEG activation, implying that they possibly share a similar pathophysiology.

Disorders of arousal in 4 older men: evidence from clinical practice.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical and video-polysomnographic features of disorders of arousal (DoA) in older adults. METHODS: Four consecutive male patients with nocturnal motor behaviors underwent a clinical interview, neurologic examination, laboratory tests, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and nocturnal in-laboratory or 24- to 48-hour home video polysomnography. The patients repeated an evaluation after 6 months of follow-up, including a 48-hour home video polysomnography in 2 patients. RESULTS: The patients were aged 65-72 years, and 1 patient has Parkinson disease. Sleep-related behavioral episodes had begun from 12-55 years before our observation. Three patients presented with a positive family history for DoA. Sleep motor episodes were described as suddenly raising the head or trunk, sitting in bed, screaming, speaking, gesturing, and sleepwalking (in 1 patient). When questioned, all patients seemed confused, rarely reporting any dream-like content. We recorded 25 DoA episodes of different intensity and complexity arising from nonrapid eye movement sleep. The semiology of the episodes was similar to that described in younger patients, consisting of sleep terrors and confusional arousals. All patients presented with physiological rapid eye movement sleep muscle atonia. Medication therapy reduced the frequency of the episodes in 2/4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: DoA may begin in adulthood and persist or arise in older adults, sometimes causing sleep-related injuries. Motor patterns of DoA in older adults are similar to those of younger patients. A combined clinical examination and video polysomnography recording are crucial in establishing a definitive diagnosis of nocturnal motor behavior in all older adults and especially in those affected by neurodegenerative diseases. CITATION: Loddo G, Fragiacomo F, Mainieri G, et al. Disorders of arousal in 4 older men: evidence from clinical practice. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(1):129-136.

The Genetics of Sleep Disorders in Children: A Narrative Review.

Sleep is a universal, highly preserved process, essential for human and animal life, whose complete functions are yet to be unravelled. Familial recurrence is acknowledged for some sleep disorders, but definite data are lacking for many of them. Genetic studies on sleep disorders have progressed from twin and family studies to candidate gene approaches to culminate in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Several works disclosed that sleep-wake characteristics, in addition to electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep patterns, have a certain degree of heritability. Notwithstanding, it is rare for sleep disorders to be attributed to single gene defects because of the complexity of the brain network/pathways involved. Besides, the advancing insights in epigenetic gene-environment interactions add further complexity to understanding the genetic control of sleep and its disorders. This narrative review explores the current genetic knowledge in sleep disorders in children, following the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-Third Edition (ICSD-3) categorisation.

Neonatal Seizures: An Overview of Genetic Causes and Treatment Options.

Seizures are the most frequent neurological clinical symptoms of the central nervous system (CNS) during the neonatal period. Neonatal seizures may be ascribed to an acute event or symptomatic conditions determined by genetic, metabolic or structural causes, outlining the so-called 'Neonatal Epilepsies'. To date, three main groups of neonatal epilepsies are recognised during the neonatal period: benign familial neonatal epilepsy (BFNE), early myoclonic encephalopathy (EME) and 'Ohtahara syndrome' (OS). Recent advances showed the role of several genes in the pathogenesis of these conditions, such as KCNQ2, KCNQ3, ARX, STXBP1, SLC25A22, CDKL5, KCNT1, SCN2A and SCN8A. Herein, we reviewed the current knowledge regarding the pathogenic variants most frequently associated with neonatal seizures, which should be considered when approaching newborns affected by these disorders. In addition, we considered the new possible therapeutic strategies reported in these conditions.

Mental Activity During Episodes of Sleepwalking, Night Terrors or Confusional Arousals: Differences Between Children and Adults.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Night terrors, sleepwalking and confusional arousals are behavioral manifestations of incomplete awakenings from sleep. According to international diagnostic criteria, these behaviors occur in the absence of any mental experience, or in the presence of very limited cognition or dream imagery (eg, a single visual scene). The aim of this study was to systematically and retrospectively investigate the mental content associated with sleep terrors and/or sleepwalking in both children and adults. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients referred for a diagnosis of disorders of arousal (DOA) of all subtypes (sleepwalking/sleep terrors/confusional arousals) (25 adults: 30 ± 6 y, 15 females; 20 children: 10 ± 3 y, 6 females) underwent a detailed semi-structured interview about the mental content associated with their nocturnal episodes. The interview was comprehensive of specific questions about their subjective recall rate, several content details (characters, emotions, actions and setting/context), and hallucinatory or dissociative experiences during clinical episodes. Patients' reports were classified for complexity (Orlinsky scale) and content (Hall and Van de Castle categories). RESULTS: More than two-third of the children (n = 14) could not recall any mental activity associated with their episodes, whereas more than two-third (n = 16) of the adults recalled at least one mental experience. Half of the adult patients (n = 8) estimated that a specific mental content was subjectively present around 50% or more of the times. Seven adults and one child described clear and vivid hallucinatory experiences of "dreamed" objects or characters projected onto their real home environment, in the absence of any reality testing. Five adults and two children described one or more dissociative experiences. The content of the collected reports was dominated by dynamic actions acted out from a self-perspective, often with apprehension and in response to misfortune and danger, in a home-setting environment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that current diagnostic criteria are tailored around the typical presentation of DOA in children, and do not always fit to adult patients with DOA. Furthermore, they support the concept that consciousness may reemerge in DOA patients during clinical episodes, in a peculiar dissociated, psychotic-like form.

Sleep-Related Hypermotor Epilepsy vs Disorders of Arousal in Adults: A Step-Wise Approach to Diagnosis.

Disorders of arousal (DoA) and sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE) are sleep-related events characterized by complex, often bizarre, and violent behaviors. DoA are involuntary motor manifestations of various complexities occurring during incomplete awakening from non-rapid eye movement sleep. SHE is a focal epilepsy characterized by stereotyped hyperkinetic or/and asymmetric tonic/dystonic seizures usually arising from non-rapid eye movement sleep. Even if many aspects regarding DoA and SHE have been clarified, the differential diagnosis remains challenging, because DoA and SHE share some semiologic features and genetic background. The clinical history, collected from the patient and his/her witness, represents the first and common milestone in the diagnosis. Validated questionnaires constitute suitable screening tools that could guide further analysis. The worldwide availability of homemade video recordings has increased the possibility of adding more objective information to the clinical history alone. The confirmed diagnosis relies on video-polysomnographic recording although it requires time, economic resources, and specific skills for the analysis. In this review we propose a simple diagnostic algorithm for the differential diagnosis between DoA and SHE in adults, based on the most updated knowledge, from the simpler tool to the most specific and tailored one.

The Arousal Disorders Questionnaire: a new and effective screening tool for confusional arousals, Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors in epilepsy and sleep disorders units.

BACKGROUND: Arousal Disorders (DoA) include Confusional Arousals, Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors. DoA diagnosis is mainly clinical but no validated questionnaires exist for DoA screening according to the criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition. Recently our group proposed the Arousal Disorders Questionnaire (ADQ) as a new diagnostic tool for DoA diagnosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the ADQ in a sleep and epilepsy center. METHODS: One interviewer blinded to clinical and video-polysomnographic (VPSG) data administered the ADQ to 150 patients consecutively admitted to our Sleep and Epilepsy Centers for a follow-up visit. The final diagnosis, according to VPSG recordings of at least one major episode, classified patients either with DoA (DoA group) or with other sleep-related motor behaviors confounding for DoA (nDoA group). RESULTS: 47 patients (31%) composed the DoA group; 56 patients with REM sleep behavior disorder, 39 with sleep-hypermotor epilepsy, six with night eating syndrome, and two with drug-induced DoA composed the nDoA group. The ADQ had a sensitivity of 72% (95% CI: 60-82) and a specificity of 96% (95% CI: 89-98) for DoA diagnosis; excluding the items regarding consciousness and episode recall, sensitivity was 83% (95% CI: 71-90) and specificity 93% (95% CI: 86-97). CONCLUSIONS: The ADQ showed good accuracy in screening patients with DoA in a sleep and epilepsy center setting. Diagnostic criteria related to cognition and episode recall reduced ADQ sensitivity, therefore a better definition of these criteria is required, especially in adults.

Disorders of Arousal: A Chronobiological Perspective.

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep parasomnias are characterized by motor and emotional behaviors emerging from incomplete arousals from NREM sleep and they are currently referred to as disorders of arousal (DoA). Three main clinical entities are recognized, namely confusional arousal, sleep terror and sleepwalking. DoA are largely present in pediatric populations, an age in which they are considered as transitory, unhabitual physiological events. The literature background in the last twenty years has extensively shown that DoA can persist in adulthood in predisposed individuals or even appear de novo in some cases. Even though some episodes may arise from stage 2 of sleep, most DoA occur during slow wave sleep (SWS), and particularly during the first two sleep cycles. The reasons for this timing are linked to the intrinsic structure of SWS and with the possible influence on this sleep phase of predisposing, priming and precipitating factors for DoA episodes. The objective of this paper is to review the intrinsic sleep-related features and chronobiological aspects affecting SWS, responsible for the occurrence of the majority of DoA episodes during the first part of the night.

Performing sleep studies after the COVID-19 outbreak: practical suggestions from Bologna's sleep unit.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic required a thorough re-organization of every sector of the healthcare system. Sleep laboratories need to renew protocols in order to guarantee the safety of patients and healthcare staff while providing exams. Polysomnography (PSG) examinations are essential for the diagnosis and treatment management of several sleep disorders, which may constitute a public or personal safety issue such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Here we provide some practical advice on how to perform sleep studies after the COVID-19 outbreak based on our experience, the review of the existing literature and current national and international recommendations by Health Authorities. We believe that with appropriate precautions it is possible to guarantee a safe restart of PSG and other sleep studies.

Seizures with paroxysmal arousals in sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE): Dissecting epilepsy from NREM parasomnias.

OBJECTIVE: Sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE) is a focal epilepsy characterized by seizures occurring mostly during sleep, ranging from brief seizures with paroxysmal arousals (SPAs) to hyperkinetic seizures and ambulatory behaviors. SPAs are brief and stereotypic seizures representing the beginning of a major seizure. Distinguishing SPAs from disorders of arousal (DOAs) and their briefest episodes called simple arousal movements (SAMs) is difficult. We performed a characterization of SPAs and SAMs to identify video-polysomnographic (VPSG) features that can contribute to the diagnosis of SHE or DOA. METHODS: Fifteen SHE, 30 DOA adult patients, and 15 healthy subjects underwent full-night VPSG. Two neurologist experts in sleep disorders and epilepsy classified all the sleep-related movements and episodes recorded. For each SPAs and SAMs, sleep stage at onset, duration, limb involvement, progression, and semiology have been identified. RESULTS: A total of 121 SPAs were recorded, emerging mostly during stage 1-2 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (median duration: 5 seconds). At the beginning, the SPAs motor pattern was hyperkinetic in 78 cases (64%), involving more than three non-contiguous or all body parts. The standard was a constant progression of movements during SPAs without any motor arrests. In DOA patients a total of 140 SAMs were recorded (median duration: 12 seconds) mostly emerging during stage 3 NREM sleep. In SAMs, we did not observe any tonic/dystonic or hypermotor patterns or stereotypy; motor arrest was present over the course of about half of the episodes. In comparison with both DOA and healthy subjects, SHE patients showed a higher number of sleep-related movements per night and a reduction of sleep efficiency. SIGNIFICANCE: SPAs and SAMs present different semiological and clinical features. Their recognition could be useful to drive the diagnosis when major episodes are not recorded during VPSG in patients with a clear clinical history of SHE or DOA.

Sleep-Related Rhythmic Movements and Sleep Terrors: A Possible Common Neurophysiological Background in a Preschool Boy.

None: We report the case of a 3-year-old boy with a history of frequent and injurious sleep-related rhythmic movements and sleep terrors. We documented six episodes of body rocking and head banging via video polysomnography. No epileptic seizures were observed. In addition to the association between a sleep movement disorder and a disorder of arousal, our case shows that sleep-related rhythmic movements can arise not only during relaxed wakefulness or during a stable sleep stage, but also during a less clearly defined sleep stage during which it is difficult to further subtype non-rapid eye movement sleep. On the contrary, the portion of sleep without rhythmic movement episodes were clearly depicted with their physiological features. These findings might be of relevance for understanding the pathophysiology of both sleep-related rhythmic movements and sleep terrors and emphasize the importance to assess sleep using polysomnography, especially when episodes are frequent and injurious. The neurophysiological information obtained from this assessment might be helpful and guide an eventual treatment option.

Searching food during the night: the role of video-polysomnography in the characterization of the night eating syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the video-polysomnographic (VPSG) features of the night eating syndrome (NES), exploring the existence of potential subtypes. METHODS: In this study, 20 consecutive patients with NES according to the most recent diagnostic criteria underwent an overnight VPSG. None of them presented with a sleep-related eating disorder (SRED). VPSG recordings were reviewed identifying all eating episodes. For each episode, eating latency (time delay from awakening to food intake), eating duration (time between eating onset to eating offset) and sleep latency after eating offset (time delay from eating offset to sleep) were calculated. Total episode duration was considered as the time between awakening and sleep latency after eating offset. RESULTS: Ten patients fulfilled the A1 core criterion for NES (evening hyperphagia with consumption of at least 25% of the daily caloric intake after the evening meal); within this group, eight patients also fulfilled the A2 criterion (at least two episodes of nocturnal eating per week) and were thus included in the evening hyperphagia (EH) subgroup. The remaining 10 patients satisfied only the A2 core criterion for NES, constituting the nocturnal ingestion (NI) subgroup. We recorded 20 eating episodes, seven in the EH group and 13 in the NI group. In the EH subgroup, three eating episodes occurred before sleep onset, one after an awakening from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage 1 sleep, two from NREM stage 2 and one from REM sleep. All 13 NI episodes occurred after an awakening from sleep (1 from NREM stage 1 sleep, 8 from NREM stage 2 and four from NREM stage 3). In EH patients, eating latency, total episode duration and sleep latency after eating offset were significantly longer than in NI patients. CONCLUSION: Our VPSG data from a case series of 20 patients referred to our center for nocturnal eating indicate potential different NES subtypes. This distinction may have an impact on patients' treatment and follow-up.

Polysomnographic features differentiating disorder of arousals from sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: The differential diagnosis between sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE) and disorders of arousal (DOA) may be challenging. We analyzed the stage and the relative time of occurrence of parasomnic and epileptic events to test their potential diagnostic accuracy as criteria to discriminate SHE from DOA. METHODS: Video-polysomnography recordings of 89 patients with a definite diagnosis of DOA (59) or SHE (30) were reviewed to define major or minor events and to analyze their stage and relative time of occurrence. The "event distribution index" was defined on the basis of the occurrence of events during the first versus the second part of sleep period time. A group analysis was performed between DOA and SHE patients to identify candidate predictors and to quantify their discriminative performance. RESULTS: The total number of motor events (i.e. major and minor) was significantly lower in DOA (3.2 ± 2.4) than in SHE patients (6.9 ± 8.3; p = 0.03). Episodes occurred mostly during N3 and N2 in DOA and SHE patients, respectively. The occurrence of at least one major event outside N3 was highly suggestive for SHE (p = 2*e-13; accuracy = 0.898, sensitivity = 0.793, specificity = 0.949). The occurrence of at least one minor event during N3 was highly suggestive for DOA (p = 4*e-5; accuracy = 0.73, sensitivity = 0.733, specificity = 0.723). The "event distribution index" was statistically higher in DOA for total (p = 0.012) and major events (p = 0.0026). CONCLUSION: The stage and the relative time of occurrence of minor and major motor manifestations represent useful criteria to discriminate DOA from SHE episodes.

Interobserver reliability of ICSD-3 diagnostic criteria for disorders of arousal in adults.

PURPOSE: Disorders of arousal include confusional arousals, sleepwalking and sleep terrors. The diagnosis of disorders of arousal is based on the clinical criteria established in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, third edition, although the interobserver reliability of these criteria has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate the inter-rater reliability of the diagnostic criteria for disorders of arousal throughout the whole life in order to understand their feasibility in clinical daily activity and in multicenter observational studies. METHODS: Three raters interviewed 126 subjects (patients complaining of sleep disorders, headache, and healthy subjects), aged 18-80 years, with a standardized questionnaire created by applying the International Diagnostic Criteria for Disorders of Arousal. RESULTS: An "almost perfect" inter-rater reliability for disorders of arousal criteria and the final diagnosis was found among the raters (kappa 0.89 for confusional arousals, 0.87 for sleepwalking, and 0.87 for sleep terrors). CONCLUSIONS: The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition criteria are adequate for a reliable diagnosis of disorders of arousal. Further validation studies, confirming DOA diagnosis with video polysomnography, are needed to investigate the predictive value of ICSD-3 criteria.