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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry doi:10.1136/jnnp.2009.186874
  • Short report

Sleep disturbance and impulsive-compulsive behaviours in Parkinson's disease

  1. Andrew J Lees1
  1. 1Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, University College London, London, UK
  2. 2Division of Clinical Neurosciences and MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK
  3. 3Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
  4. 4Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Professor Andrew J Lees, Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, UCL, 1 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PJ, UK; alees{at}ion.ucl.ac.uk

  1. Contributors SO'S and CML completed the statistical analysis.

  • Received 23 June 2009
  • Revised 30 January 2010
  • Accepted 5 February 2010
  • Published Online First 20 June 2010

Abstract

Objectives Impulsive-compulsive behaviours (ICBs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been anecdotally linked with impaired sleep. The authors investigate measures of sleep in PD patients with and without ICBs, and in healthy controls.

Methods The authors compare Parkinsonian features, measures of depression, anxiety and mania, and sleep disturbance in 30 PD patients with ICBs (PD+ICB), 62 PD patients without ICBs (PD−ICB) and 48 healthy controls.

Results PD+ICB patients had a younger age of PD onset, took more dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) and had worse sleep, and elevated anxiety, depression and mania scores. Using multiple linear regression analyses, the total anxiety and depression scores, and presence of ICBs were the only variables associated with poorer sleep in PD.

Conclusions PD+ICB patients may show enhanced psychomotor effects of DRT that may in turn contribute to poor sleep quality. Sleep disturbance should be specifically queried in PD+ICB patients.

Footnotes

  • Funding This work was supported by funding from the Reta Lila Weston Institute and the UK Parkinson's Disease Society.

  • Competing interests None.

  • Ethics approval Ethics approval was provided by the UCLH Trust Ethics Committee, London, UK

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.