The influence of transcranial stimulation on rapid eye movement sleep disorders among persons with Parkinson′s disease

Abstract

Objective To observe the influence of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on rapid eye movement sleep disorders among Parkinson′s disease (PD) patients. Methods Fifty-four PD patients were randomly divided into a treatment group (n=28) and a control group (n=26). Both groups were given routine drug treatment and nursing, while the treatment group was additionally provided with tDCS therapy. Both groups were evaluated using polysomnography (PSG), the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), the pediatric daytime sleepiness scale (PDSS), the Epworth sleeping scale (ESS) and PD quality of life questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) before and after four months of treatment. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups before the treatment. After the treatment, significant improvement was observed in the total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), sleep efficiency (SE), rapid eye movement sleep (REMS), arousal index (AI), and in the HAMD, ESS, PDSS and PDQ-39 scores among the treatment group. In the control group only the average TST and HAMD score improved significantly. After the treatment, all of the treatment group′s average results were significantly better than the control group′s averages. Conclusion tDCS can significantly improve the sleep quality of patients with PD and relieve any depression, bettering their life quality. Key words: Transcranial direct current stimulation; Parkinson′s disease; Rapid eye movement sleep; Sleep quality; Depression