AAN 2022 | The RBD Symptom Severity Scale

Joyce Lee-Iannotti, MD, the University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, discusses the development of the REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) Symptom Severity Scale. It is known that idiopathic RBD patients are at higher risk of developing Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. The main goal in the RBD research realm is to capture the patients in registries to understand the pathophysiology and why there is such a high risk of neurodegeneration. Thus, the need for an RBD symptom severity score. Dr Lee-lannotti describes that by categorizing patients based on symptom frequency and by how injurious their behaviors are, clinicians will be able to converge this with sleep study data – allowing for a better prognosis and the potential for patients being inducted into neuroprotective trials. This interview took place at the American Academy of Neurology 2022 Congress in Seattle, WA.