Sleep Architecture Changed Without RBD in Patients With FTDP-17

Study Objectives: The aim of this study is to detect the features of sleep disorder via polysomnography (PSG) based on Chinese pedigree of frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17). Methods: Five members (two symptomatic patients and three patients with a presymptomatic mutation) from the FTDP-17 pedigree were enrolled, in comparison with 9 patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and 11 control patients. Each patient underwent standard PSG and hypnogram analysis. Results: Sleep architecture is affected in the presymptomatic stage of FTDP-17, including total sleep time and sleep efficiency. However, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder seems to be exempt from FTDP-17. In hypnogram analysis, five individuals with FTDP-17 exhibited decreased sleep efficiency and disruption of the normal cyclic sleep organization. Conclusions: In FTDP-17, striatum and brainstem are the pathological lesions, which may be involved in the pathophysiology of the alterations in sleep architecture. The concrete mechanisms need further investigation.