Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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Frequent Nightmares? Beware Signs of Parkinson's

Dreams could be the only flower bed. However, if you often have nightmares, need to wary of. Because according to one study, severe nightmares may be one early sign of Parkinson's disease.
Scientists in Spain claim the people who suffer from sleep disorder called REM, which include nightmares, kicking, hitting and screaming, high risk of developing Parkinson's disease and other forms of dementia in the next five years.

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) phase of sleep is when most people start dreaming. In their normal sleep, the body effectively as if paralyzed because during this stage deadly brain muscle functions. However, those with REM sleep disorder, often perform the movement in his dream as violent movement. The scientists found that one in five people aged over 60 years, who suffer from sleep disorders will end up with Parkinson's and other degenerative diseases such as Lewy body dementia.

The study, published in the journal Lancet Neurology, shows that sleep disorders can be one early sign of brain disease. The research team, led by Dr. Alex Iranzo of Neurology Department of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, monitored 43 patients over the age of 60 years, all diagnosed with REM sleep disorder.

They found that 30 percent of patients have developed some form of neurological disorders (Parkinson's in most cases), two and a half years after they were diagnosed with sleep problems. In the UK, Parkinson's disease affects about 120,000 people, mostly aged over 50 years. Those who suffer from this disease experience lack a chemical called dopamine because of certain nerve cells in their brains are dead. Without dopamine, their movements become slower, they are often confused and lost memory.

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