Isolated Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Model to Assess the Overnight Habituation of Emotional Reactivity
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- to explore the relationship between distinct sleep stages, with a particular focus on REM sleep and SSs, and the overnight habituation of emotional reactivity in a sample of elderly individuals, including both HCs and iRBD patients;
- to evaluate the relationship between phasic events in REM sleep and alterations in overnight habituation of emotional reactivity;
- to investigate emotional dysregulation in iRBD patients using questionnaires and an arousal rating task.
2. Results
3. Discussion
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Subjects
- No history of psychiatric, neurologic, or sleep disorders (other than iRBD in the pathological group) and no current use of psychoactive drugs or habitual use of marijuana. Not under the influence of any medication or substance that could directly affect sleep;
- Normal or corrected to normal vision and good sleep quality.
4.2. Procedure
4.3. Materials
- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for the assessment of depressive symptoms [38]. The BDI is a self-report scale consisting of 21 items on a four-point scale assessing symptoms and attitudes. Higher scores reflect more severe depressive symptomatology;
- State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for the assessment of anxiety [39]. The STAI includes two different scales: STAI-Y-1 measuring state anxiety, based on the subject feeling “at that moment”, and STAI-Y-2 measuring trait anxiety, based on the subject’s general feelings. Both scales include 20 items. Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety;
- Dimensional Apathy Scale (DAS) for the evaluation of apathy [40]. The DAS is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 24 items rated on a four-point Likert-type scale (from “hardly ever” to “almost always”). The scale assesses three apathy subtypes: (1) executive apathy, characterized by impairments associated with planning, attention, or organization; (2) emotional apathy, defined by difficulties in emotion integration; and (3) initiation apathy, related to the lack of motivation for self-generation of behaviors or cognition;
- DERS for the assessment of emotion dysregulation [41]. The DERS is a self-report inventory including six factors: (1) “non-acceptance of emotional responses”; (2) “difficulties in distracting with emotion and performing alternate behavior”; (3) “lack of confidence in emotional regulation skills”; (4) “difficulties in behavioral control”; (5) “difficulty in recognizing emotions”; and (6) “reduced emotional self-awareness”. Participants are asked to indicate their agreement with 36 items on a five-point Likert-type scale (from “almost never” to “almost always”). Higher scores indicate greater difficulties in regulating emotion.
4.4. PSG Recording
4.5. Sleep Stages
4.5.1. NREM Sleep Microstructure
4.5.2. REM Sleep Microstructure
4.6. Experimental Task
4.7. Statistical Analyses
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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PSG Parameters | Group | Mean ± SD | Mean Rank | U Statistic | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SE | HC | 83.47 ± 13.26 | 9.25 | 26 | 0.574 |
iRBD | 77.13 ± 18.27 | 7.75 | |||
TIB | HC | 497.50 ± 41.78 | 10 | 20 | 0.234 |
iRBD | 469.69 ± 19.25 | 7 | |||
TST | HC | 417.56 ± 84.76 | 10.50 | 16 | 0.105 |
iRBD | 358.50 ± 86.79 | 6.50 | |||
WASO | HC | 68.06 ± 51.39 | 7.38 | 33 | 0.613 |
iRBD | 98.29 ± 83.38 | 8.71 | |||
SOL N1 | HC | 4.44 ± 4.13 | 5.44 | 48.50 | 0.014 * |
iRBD | 10.79 ± 3.59 | 10.93 | |||
SOL N2 | HC | 16.06 ± 10.83 | 5.88 | 45 | 0.054 |
iRBD | 41.14 ± 29.89 | 10.43 | |||
%N1 | HC | 17.08 ± 8.65 | 7.88 | 37 | 0.645 |
iRBD | 21.77 ± 10.70 | 9.12 | |||
%N2 | HC | 57.88 ± 8.99 | 10.25 | 18 | 0.161 |
iRBD | 50.33 ± 9.80 | 6.75 | |||
%N3 | HC | 7.21 ± 10.26 | 9.25 | 26 | 0.574 |
iRBD | 5.21 ± 8.67 | 7.75 | |||
%REM | HC | 17.82 ± 4.00 | 6.88 | 45 | 0.195 |
iRBD | 22.69 ± 8.33 | 10.12 | |||
REM latency | HC | 99.50 ± 47.01 | 6.38 | 49 | 0.041 * |
iRBD | 182.81 ± 102.13 | 10.62 | |||
REMs density | HC | 3.22 ± 1.46 | 4.50 | 56 | <0.001 * |
iRBD | 8.19 ± 2.82 | 12 | |||
REM arousal index | HC | 0.23 ± 0.10 | 6 | 44 | 0.036 * |
iRBD | 0.35 ± 0.11 | 10.29 | |||
REM arousal and awakening index | HC | 0.29 ± 0.12 | 6.75 | 38 | 0.281 |
iRBD | 0.38 ± 0.12 | 9.43 | |||
SS density N2 Cz | HC | 1.10 ± 1.12 | 9 | 20 | 0.397 |
iRBD | 0.59 ± 0.64 | 6.86 | |||
SS density N2 Pz | HC | 1.65 ± 1.60 | 8.62 | 23 | 0.613 |
iRBD | 1.22 ± 0.98 | 7.29 |
PSG Parameters | Group | Mean ± SD | Mean Rank | U Statistic | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DERS Total | HC | 70.37 ± 17.83 | 7.75 | 38 | 0.574 |
iRBD | 76.75 ± 17.55 | 9.25 | |||
DERS Non-Acceptance | HC | 10.00 ± 3.25 | 6.69 | 46.50 | 0.130 |
iRBD | 13.00 ± 3.89 | 10.31 | |||
DERS Goals | HC | 13.87 ± 5.38 | 9.56 | 23.50 | 0.382 |
iRBD | 11.50 ± 2.73 | 7.44 | |||
DERS Impulsiveness | HC | 9.50 ± 4.21 | 6.75 | 46 | 0.161 |
iRBD | 13.37 ± 5.10 | 10.25 | |||
DERS Awareness | HC | 14.62 ± 5.34 | 9.50 | 24 | 0.442 |
iRBD | 12.12 ± 5.36 | 7.50 | |||
DERS Strategies | HC | 14.37 ± 4.69 | 6.69 | 46.50 | 0.130 |
iRBD | 17.75 ± 4.68 | 10.31 | |||
DERS Clarity | HC | 8.00 ± 2.51 | 8.44 | 32.50 | 1.00 |
iRBD | 8.87 ± 4.61 | 8.56 | |||
BDI | HC | 5.37 ± 5.34 | 7.75 | 38 | 0.574 |
iRBD | 6.00 ± 2.39 | 9.25 | |||
STAI-Y1 | HC | 29.37 ± 8.42 | 7.50 | 40 | 0.442 |
iRBD | 34.57 ± 13.38 | 9.50 | |||
STAI-Y2 | HC | 32.37 ± 12.12 | 7.38 | 41 | 0.382 |
iRBD | 34.25 ± 7.46 | 9.62 | |||
DAS Executive | HC | 7.62 ± 4.81 | 10.81 | 13.50 | 0.057 |
iRBD | 3.62 ± 1.92 | 6.19 | |||
DAS Emotional | HC | 7.37 ± 4.63 | 8.25 | 34 | 0.878 |
iRBD | 7.37 ± 3.20 | 8.75 | |||
DAS Behavior and Cognition | HC | 9.25 ± 3.99 | 9.38 | 25 | 0.505 |
iRBD | 6.62 ± 4.14 | 7.62 | |||
DAS Total | HC | 24.25 ± 7.05 | 10.50 | 16 | 0.105 |
iRBD | 17.62 ± 7.11 | 6.50 |
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Leitner, C.; Greco, V.; Casoni, F.; Lewis, P.A.; Ferini-Strambi, L.; Galbiati, A. Isolated Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Model to Assess the Overnight Habituation of Emotional Reactivity. Clocks & Sleep 2025, 7, 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010009
Leitner C, Greco V, Casoni F, Lewis PA, Ferini-Strambi L, Galbiati A. Isolated Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Model to Assess the Overnight Habituation of Emotional Reactivity. Clocks & Sleep. 2025; 7(1):9. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010009
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeitner, Caterina, Viviana Greco, Francesca Casoni, Penelope A. Lewis, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, and Andrea Galbiati. 2025. "Isolated Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Model to Assess the Overnight Habituation of Emotional Reactivity" Clocks & Sleep 7, no. 1: 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010009
APA StyleLeitner, C., Greco, V., Casoni, F., Lewis, P. A., Ferini-Strambi, L., & Galbiati, A. (2025). Isolated Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Model to Assess the Overnight Habituation of Emotional Reactivity. Clocks & Sleep, 7(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep7010009