Publications by authors named "Carlos H Schenck"

Article Synopsis
  • Charles Fisher was a groundbreaking researcher in sleep medicine who made significant contributions in various areas of sleep study, particularly concerning REM sleep in narcoleptic patients.
  • He was the first to document several key concepts, such as the effects of benzodiazepines on night terrors and the connection between REM sleep and sexual arousal.
  • Collaborating with notable figures like William C. Dement, Fisher’s work laid a foundation for understanding sleep disorders, behaviors, and cycles, influencing the field well beyond his era.
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Disorders of Arousal (DOA) are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias traditionally regarded as unconscious states. However, recent research challenges this assumption. This narrative review aims to explore the presence and qualitative features of conscious experiences in patients with DOA during their episodes.

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Background And Objectives: Idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) has been strongly linked to neurodegenerative synucleinopathies such as Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. However, there have been increasing reports of RBD as a presenting feature of serious and treatable autoimmune syndromes, particularly IGLON5. This study's objective was to investigate the frequency of autoantibodies in a large cohort of participants with iRBD.

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  • Sleep-related dissociative disorder (SRDD) is a psychiatric condition mostly affecting women, recognized since 1989 and officially classified in 2005, characterized by unusual dissociative episodes occurring during sleep transitions.
  • Key features include sustained EEG wakefulness during episodes, observed in about half of cases, which typically follow disruptions in sleep stages.
  • The report highlights two new cases of SRDD in women with histories of severe childhood abuse and "sleep phobia," emphasizing the association between SRDD, nocturnal eating behaviors, and various triggering factors.
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The formal identification and naming of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) in 1985-1987 is described; the historical background of RBD from 1966 to 1985 is briefly discussed; and RBD milestones are presented. Current knowledge on RBD is identified with reference to recent comprehensive reviews, allowing for a focus on research priorities for RBD: factors and predictors of neurodegenerative phenoconversion from isolated RBD and patient enrolment in neuroprotective trials; isolated RBD clinical research cohorts; epidemiology of RBD; traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, RBD and neurodegeneration; depression, RBD and synucleinopathy; evolution of prodromal RBD to neurodegeneration; gut microbiome dysbiosis and colonic synuclein histopathology in isolated RBD; other alpha-synuclein research in isolated RBD; narcolepsy-RBD; dreams and nightmares in RBD; phasic REM sleep in isolated RBD; RBD, periodic limb movements, periodic limb movement disorder pseudo-RBD; other neurophysiology research in RBD; cardiac scintigraphy (I-MIBG) in isolated RBD; brain magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in isolated RBD; microRNAs as biomarkers in isolated RBD; actigraphic, other automated digital monitoring and machine learning research in RBD; prognostic counselling and ethical considerations in isolated RBD; and REM sleep basic science research. RBD research is flourishing, and is strategically situated at an ever-expanding crossroads of clinical (sleep) medicine, neurology, psychiatry and neuroscience.

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Article Synopsis
  • A 55-year-old woman with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome experienced severe injuries after suddenly falling asleep and colliding with a sharp object, leading to the surgical removal of her right eye.
  • The study reviews existing literature on injuries related to OSA, including falls and motor vehicle accidents, while highlighting the risks associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
  • The authors stress the importance of educating healthcare providers on the early detection and treatment of OSA to prevent such serious injuries.
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Unlabelled: We investigated the accuracy of (ICD) codes for the identification of veterans with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. The charts of 139 randomly sampled veterans with ≥ 1 ICD-9 and ICD-10 code(s) for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder were reviewed for documentation of a suspected, previous, or current diagnosis; clinical symptoms; and/or empiric treatments for this disorder. Notably, 71 (51.

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Aims: Although clonazepam (CLO) and melatonin (MLT) are the most frequently used treatments for REM sleep behavior disorder, the polysomnographic features associated with their use are little known. The aim of this study was to evaluate polysomnographic and clinical parameters of patients with idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) treated chronically with CLO, sustained-release MLT, alone or in combination, and in a group of drug-free iRBD patients.

Methods: A total of 96 patients were enrolled: 43 drug-free, 21 with CLO (0.

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Sexual behavior during sleep, known as sexual parasomnias, has captured the interest of researchers and clinicians. These parasomnias involve various sexual activities that occur unconsciously during sleep. Although relatively rare, they can profoundly affect well-being and relationships and can carry legal consequences.

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This review critically analyzes the forensic application of the Parasomnia Defense in homicidal incidents, drawing from medical literature on disorders of arousal (DOA) and rapid-eye-movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane databases was conducted until October 16, 2022. We screened English-language articles in peer-reviewed journals discussing murders committed during sleep with a Parasomnia Defense.

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 Chronic nightmares are a common and disabling feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for which broadly effective treatments are still lacking. While imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) demonstrates benefits for patients with idiopathic nightmares and some patients with PTSD-related nightmares, research indicates it may be less beneficial for veterans. Narrative therapy (NT) is a form of psychotherapy which is client-centered and value-focused and has demonstrated benefits for PTSD patients.

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Background And Objectives: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by dream enactment. The International RBD Study Group developed the RBD Symptom Severity Scale (RBDSSS) to assess symptom severity for clinical or research use. We assessed the psychometric and clinimetric properties of the RBDSSS in participants enrolled in the North American Prodromal Synucleinopathy (NAPS) Consortium for RBD.

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Article Synopsis
  • RBD is a sleep disorder that can lead to serious brain diseases like Parkinson's, especially in people with past brain injuries or stress.
  • People with both RBD and past trauma had their RBD symptoms start earlier and were more severe than those with just RBD.
  • The study found that those with both RBD and trauma experienced worse mental and physical health, suggesting a possible link to worsening brain problems over time.
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REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by a loss of atonia of skeletal muscles during REM sleep, associated with acting out behaviors during dreams. Knowledge of this pathology is important to predict neurodegenerative diseases since there is a strong association of RBD with diseases caused by the deposition of alpha-synuclein in neurons (synucleinopathies), such as Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Proper diagnosis of this condition will enable the use of future neuroprotective strategies before motor and cognitive symptoms.

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Background And Objectives: Although orthostatic hypotension (OH) can be an early feature of autonomic dysfunction in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), no large-scale studies have examined the frequency of OH in iRBD. In this study, we prospectively evaluated the frequency of OH in a large multicenter iRBD cohort.

Methods: Participants 18 years or older with video polysomnogram-confirmed iRBD were enrolled through the North American Prodromal Synucleinopathy consortium.

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Updated guidelines for the video-polysomnography (vPSG) procedures for diagnosing rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and the identification of its prodromal stages have recently been proposed by the Neurophysiology Working Group of the International RBD Study Group (IRBDSG). These guidelines were selected for review by a World Sleep Society (WSS) Parasomnias Task Force and the WSS International Sleep Medicine Guidelines Committee. A survey was completed by sleep society leaders and prominent sleep clinicians and researchers in 31 WSS member countries across six continents, focused on sleep technologist training and certification; extent of public/private health insurance coverage for the vPSG evaluation of RBD; extent of hospital-based sleep-technologist-attended overnight vPSG studies; availability of video during PSG studies; and sufficient specification of PSG machines to record and analyze REM sleep without atonia.

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Unlabelled: Sleep-related sexualized behaviors occur in the parasomnia known as sexsomnia, recognized as a variant of confusional arousals in the , third edition. These instinctive behaviors of a sexual nature emerge from deep non-rapid eye movement sleep, and patients often present with distinguishing features within this sleep disorder category. There are often adverse psychosocial consequences and not uncommonly medicolegal implications.

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Background: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is one of the earliest and most specific prodromes of the α-synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease (PD). It remains uncertain whether RBD occurring in the context of psychiatric disorders (psy-RBD), although very common, is merely a benign epiphenomenon of antidepressant treatment, or whether it harbours an underlying α-synucleinopathy. We hypothesised that patients with psy-RBD demonstrate a familial predisposition to an α-synucleinopathy.

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Recent studies have begun to understand sleep not only as a whole-brain process but also as a complex local phenomenon controlled by specific neurotransmitters that act in different neural networks, which is called "local sleep". Moreover, the basic states of human consciousness-wakefulness, sleep onset (N1), light sleep (N2), deep sleep (N3), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-can concurrently appear, which may result in different sleep-related dissociative states. In this article, we classify these sleep-related dissociative states into physiological, pathological, and altered states of consciousness.

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Article Synopsis
  • A prospective study was conducted to measure and analyze motor activity during sleep using actigraphy in patients with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) treated with clonazepam for 3 months.
  • The study found that after treatment, a significant percentage of patients had reduced motor activity, with 52% showing more than 50% improvement in either motor activity block or amount, though subjective patient reports didn't significantly correlate with objective measures from actigraphy.
  • The research suggests that actigraphy is a valuable tool for objectively assessing treatment effectiveness in drug trials for iRBD patients.
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Background: Antidepressants are increasingly used in children for various psychiatric disorders but also for sleep disorders such as insomnia; however, it is currently unknown how many children undergoing polysomnography (PSG) are taking anti-depressants. The aims were: to determine the frequency of use of antidepressants in paediatric patients referred for PSG, to identify the most common antidepressants used, to investigate the reasons for their use, and to analyse the PSG parameters found in children taking antidepressants.

Method: An observational cross-sectional retrospective chart review of all children undergoing PSG at Seattle Children's Hospital from 6/14/2020 to 12/8/2022 was carried out.

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This study aimed to correlate REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) and neuropsychological data in patients with idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) and those with RBD associated with Parkinson's disease (PDRBD), in order to assess whether higher degrees of RSWA are related to poorer cognitive performance. A total of 142 subjects were enrolled: 48 with iRBD, 55 with PDRBD, and 39 PD without RBD (PDnoRBD). All participants underwent video-polysomnographic recording, clinical and neuropsychological assessment.

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