I15 Sleep In Patients With Huntington’s Disease: Interim Results From A Polysomnographic Study

Background 88% of HD patients report to suffer from sleep problems. A reduction in REM sleep as well as an increased REM sleep latency has already been described in previous studies. A recent study has shown, that these symptoms can also be observed in treated HD patients and even in still asymptomatic gene carriers. Methods/techniques 10 patients with mild-moderate HD (including 4 asymptomatic gene carriers) and 10 age- and sex-matched controls were evaluated by a two-night polysomnography and a MSLT. No drugs affecting the central nervous system were allowed in this study. Results/outcome HD patients demonstrated a higher frequency of periodic limb movements during wakefulness, a higher SINBAR index, longer states of wakefulness after sleep onset, reduced sleep efficiency as well as a significantly increased number of axial jerks during sleep stage II and REM sleep with preceding K-complexes and more frequent arousals. Conclusions These interim polysomnographic results clearly reveal significant differences in various sleep parameters especially in REM sleep, suggesting brainstem dysfunction in HD in early stages of the disease.