Sleep macro-architecture in patients with Parkinson's disease does not change during the first night of neurostimulation in a pilot study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: A growing body of literature suggests that deep brain stimulation to treat motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease may also ameliorate certain sleep deficits. Many foundational studies have examined the impact of stimulation on sleep following several months of therapy, leaving an open question regarding the time course for improvement. It is unknown whether sleep improvement will immediately follow onset of therapy or accrete over a prolonged period of stimulation. The objective of our study was to address this knowledge gap by assessing the impact of deep brain stimulation on sleep macro-architecture during the first nights of stimulation. METHODS: Polysomnograms were recorded for 3 consecutive nights in 14 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (10 male, 4 female; age: 53-74 years), with intermittent, unilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on the final night or 2. Sleep scoring was determined manually by a consensus of 4 experts. Sleep macro-architecture was objectively quantified using the percentage, latency, and mean bout length of wake after sleep onset and on each stage of sleep (rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement stages 1, 2, 3). RESULTS: Sleep was found to be highly disrupted in all nights. Sleep architecture on nights without stimulation was consistent with prior results in treatment naive patients with Parkinson's disease. No statistically significant difference was observed due to stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: These objective measures suggest that 1 night of intermittent subthreshold stimulation appears insufficient to impact sleep macro-architecture. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: Adaptive Neurostimulation to Restore Sleep in Parkinson's Disease; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04620551; Identifier: NCT04620551. CITATION: Das R, Gliske SV, West LC, et al. Sleep macro-architecture in patients with Parkinson's disease does not change during the first night of neurostimulation in a pilot study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(9):1489-1496.

Evaluating the Relationship of Airflow Obstruction in COPD with Severity of OSA Among Patients with Overlap Syndrome.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common diseases affecting millions worldwide. These two diseases have a complex relationship that is not well understood. Previous small studies suggest an inverse relationship of disease severity of OSA with COPD airflow obstruction. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between severity of airflow obstruction in COPD and severity of OSA via apnea hypopnea index obtained during an in-lab baseline polysomnogram using a large quaternary care center cohort. Methods: From November 2015 through December 2018, 273 patients with confirmed COPD via spirometry and OSA via in-lab baseline polysomnogram were included. Conclusion: No associations were noted between severity of airflow obstruction in COPD and disease severity of OSA. Given the heterogeneity of these diseases, further exploration of a relationship within disease subtypes is warranted.

Basal Ganglia Local Field Potentials as a Potential Biomarker for Sleep Disturbance in Parkinson's Disease.

Sleep disturbances, specifically decreases in total sleep time and sleep efficiency as well as increased sleep onset latency and wakefulness after sleep onset, are highly prevalent in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Impairment of sleep significantly and adversely impacts several comorbidities in this patient population, including cognition, mood, and quality of life. Sleep disturbances and other non-motor symptoms of PD have come to the fore as the effectiveness of advanced therapies such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) optimally manage the motor symptoms. Although some studies have suggested that DBS provides benefit for sleep disturbances in PD, the mechanisms by which this might occur, as well as the optimal stimulation parameters for treating sleep dysfunction, remain unknown. In patients treated with DBS, electrophysiologic recording from the stimulating electrode, in the form of local field potentials (LFPs), has led to the identification of several findings associated with both motor and non-motor symptoms including sleep. For example, beta frequency (13-30 Hz) oscillations are associated with worsened bradykinesia while awake and decrease during non-rapid eye movement sleep. LFP investigation of sleep has largely focused on the subthalamic nucleus (STN), though corresponding oscillatory activity has been found in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and thalamus as well. LFPs are increasingly being recognized as a potential biomarker for sleep states in PD, which may allow for closed-loop optimization of DBS parameters to treat sleep disturbances in this population. In this review, we discuss the relationship between LFP oscillations in STN and the sleep architecture of PD patients, current trends in utilizing DBS to treat sleep disturbance, and future directions for research. In particular, we highlight the capability of novel technologies to capture and record LFP data in vivo, while patients continue therapeutic stimulation for motor symptoms. These technological advances may soon allow for real-time adaptive stimulation to treat sleep disturbances.

Recent developments in the classification, evaluation, and treatment of insomnia.

Sleep/wake complaints, and specifically insomnia, are some of the more common problems encountered in the outpatient setting. Despite its prevalence, few clinicians are experts at diagnosing and treating this entity. Additionally, diagnosis and treatment of insomnia is a time-intensive process (often the initial interview takes at least 1 h, depending on the complexity of the insomnia). With a conservative estimate of the annual cost of insomnia between dollar 92.5 and dollar 107.5 billion dollars, it is becoming clear that insomnia has significant medical and public health implications. A problem that has hampered insomnia research is the lack of a standard definition of insomnia for use in research, as well as guidelines for assessment. In recent years, there have been important advances in the classification, evaluation, and treatment of insomnia with efforts to establish greater consensus in how to define and measure insomnia. Cognitive behavioral and pharmacologic therapies have been shown to be effective treatment approaches. Insomnia is a complex entity, often multifactorial in its etiology; and as research and clinical guidelines are established and validated (leading to better data interpretation), continued enhancement of our understanding of this disorder is expected.