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EAN 2025 | The latest developments in screening tools for identifying patients with iRBD
Ambra Stefani, MD, PhD, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, discusses the latest developments in screening tools for identifying patients with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), a prodromal stage of alpha-synuclein-related diseases. Dr Stefani emphasizes the potential of wearables and video-based screening tools. This interview took place at the 11th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN 2025) in Helsinki, Finland.
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Transcript
REM sleep behavior disorder is a prodromal stage or early stage of alpha-synuclein-related disease, which means, for example, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy. It’s a very early stage of a neurodegenerative condition, and this is why screening methods are also important. Also, at the moment, we still do not have a neuroprotective treatment, but still identification is important, at least to recommend lifestyle modifications to this patient...
REM sleep behavior disorder is a prodromal stage or early stage of alpha-synuclein-related disease, which means, for example, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, or multiple system atrophy. It’s a very early stage of a neurodegenerative condition, and this is why screening methods are also important. Also, at the moment, we still do not have a neuroprotective treatment, but still identification is important, at least to recommend lifestyle modifications to this patient. The most recent advancements are related to the use of wearables, in particular actigraphy, which is integrated in wristbands or watches, wristbands with actigraphy. And it is important in this patient to record so we have an improvement in the screening methods accuracy if the activity not only during the night, even if it is a sleep disorder, but also during the day is recorded because we know that there is also some alteration in the circadian pattern. This can be integrated also with the questionnaires and assessment of other biomarkers that are related also to neurodegeneration. Another important screening tool that is in development, and we already have some interesting data published, is based on video because patients with REM sleep behavior disorder act out their dreams during the night. Usually during the REM sleep phase we do not move, there is an active atonia controlled mainly by the brainstem and in this patient the system is not working so they move and they have usually nightmares so they act out their dreams with violent movements and this can be recognized of course in the video during the night. And there are studies also from my group in Innsbruck using a 3D camera based on time of flight to automatically recognize movements. And there are other studies led mainly by the group of Emmanuel During at Mount Sinai in New York, focusing more on 2D cameras. So these are evolving. We have from the World’s Group good data, but still we need some improvement to be able to allow patients to use this at home as a real screening method out of the hospital.
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Disclosures
Advisory Board: Takeda.
