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Delayed emergence of a parkinsonian disorder or dementia in 81% of older men initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a 16-year update on a previously reported series
Schenck CH, Boeve BF, Mahowald MW.. Sleep medicine, 2013-01-22
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective To provide a 16-year update from the authors' 1996 report documenting a 38% conversion from idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) to a parkinsonian disorder at a mean interval of nearly 13 years after the onset of iRBD in a series of 29 males > or =50 years old. Methods The methods of evaluation, diagnosis and follow-up were previously described in the 1996 report. All patients had video-polysomnography (vPSG) confirmed RBD. Results 80.8% (21/26) of patients who were initially diagnosed with iRBD eventually developed parkinsonism/dementia (three of the original 29 patients were lost to follow-up). The distribution of diagnoses was as follows: n=13, Parkinson's disease (PD); n=3, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB); n=1, dementia (unspecified; profound); n=2, multiple system atrophy (MSA); n=2, clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease (AD) with autopsy-confirmed combined AD plus Lewy body disease pathology. Among the 21 iRBD "converters," the mean age (±SD) of iRBD onset was 57.7±7.7 years; mean age (±SD) of parkinsonism/dementia onset was 71.9±6.6 years; and mean interval (±SD) from iRBD onset to parkinsonism/dementia onset was 14.2±6.2 years (range: 5-29 years). Conclusion The vast majority of men > or =50 years old initially diagnosed with iRBD in this study eventually developed a parkinsonian disorder/dementia, often after a prolonged interval from onset of iRBD, with the mean interval being 14 years while the range extended to 29 years. Also, the specificity of iRBD converting to parkinsonism/dementia is striking. These findings carry important clinical and research implications in the convergent fields of sleep medicine, neurology, and neuroscience, and identify an optimal clinical group for conducting prospective research studies utilizing putative neuroprotective agents to delay the emergence of, or halt the progression to, parkinsonism and/or cognitive impairment as manifestations of either PD, DLB or MSA.
Key findings
- Results 80.8% (21/26) of patients who were initially diagnosed with iRBD eventually developed parkinsonism/dementia (three of the original 29 patients were lost to follow-up).
- These findings carry important clinical and research implications in the convergent fields of sleep medicine, neurology, and neuroscience, and identify an optimal clinical group for conducting prospective research studies utilizing putative neuroprotective agents to delay the emergence of, or halt the progression to, parkinsonism and/or cognitive impairment as manifestations of either PD, DLB or MSA.
Why it matters
In this 16-year follow-up, 80.8% of men initially diagnosed with idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder eventually developed parkinsonism or dementia, often after a long interval. The authors say this group could be used for research on neuroprotective agents, but no treatment, cure or prevention is demonstrated here.
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Study details
- Participants13
- Effect size80.8%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Sleep medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Sleep Medicine: journal h-index 193 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2013 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 13 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 810 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 54.0 citations a year over 15 year(s) since 2013 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 38.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 15 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 131 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Mark W. Mahowald: h-index 45 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 23347909) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Schenck, C. H., Boeve, B. F., & Mahowald, M. W. (2013). Delayed emergence of a parkinsonian disorder or dementia in 81% of older men initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a 16-year update on a previously reported series. Sleep medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2012.10.009
Vancouver
Schenck CH, Boeve BF, Mahowald MW. Delayed emergence of a parkinsonian disorder or dementia in 81% of older men initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a 16-year update on a previously reported series. Sleep medicine. 2013. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2012.10.009. PMID: 23347909.
BibTeX
@article{schenck2013-23347909,
author = {Schenck, C. H. and Boeve, B. F. and Mahowald, M. W.},
title = {{Delayed emergence of a parkinsonian disorder or dementia in 81\% of older men initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a 16-year update on a previously reported series}},
journal = {Sleep medicine},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1016/j.sleep.2012.10.009},
pmid = {23347909},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2012.10.009}
}
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