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  Vol. 59 No. 4, April 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Progressive Dementia and Hypersomnolence With Dream-Enacting Behavior

Oneiric Dementia

Jean E. Cibula, MD; Stephan Eisenschenk, MD; Michael Gold, MD; Thomas A. Eskin, MD; Robin L. Gilmore, MD; Kenneth M. Heilman, MD

Arch Neurol. 2002;59:630-634.

Background  Sleep disorders are associated with several types of degenerative dementias, including Alzheimer and prion diseases. Animal models have demonstrated abolition of rapid eye movement atonia, resulting in dream-enacting complex movements termed oneiric behavior, and patients with fatal familial insomnia may have vivid dreams that intrude on wakefulness.

Objective  To describe a new form of progressive dementia with hypersomnia and oneiric behavior.

Methods  Neuropsychological and polysomnographic studies of a middle-aged woman with a progressive dementia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and a vertical gaze palsy.

Results  Neuropsychological testing revealed decreased verbal fluency, impaired attention and working memory, amnesia, poor recall, and bradyphrenia with hypersomnia. Polysomnography revealed a rapid eye movement behavioral disorder with complete absence of slow wave sleep. Prion protein analysis did not reveal the mutation associated with fatal familial insomnia, and other diagnostic test findings were unrevealing.

Conclusion  Our patient had a previously unreported syndrome of progressive dementia associated with rapid eye movement behavioral disorder and the absence of slow wave sleep.


From the Departments of Neurology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington (Dr Cibula), McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville (Drs Eisenschenk, Gilmore, and Heilman), University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa (Dr Gold); and Department of Pathology, University of Florida College of Medicine (Dr Eskin), and the Malcolm Randall Veterans Administration Medical Center, Gainesville (Dr Heilman).







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