SLEEP FEATURES IN TOURETTES-SYNDROME, NEUROACANTHOCYTOSIS AND HUNTINGTONS-CHOREA

Twenty-one patients affected by extrapyramidal disorders were polygrap hically recorded during spontaneous nocturnal sleep for two consecutiv e nights to assess their sleep and movement patterns. The patients (pt s) sample included: Gilles de La Tourette syndrome (TS, nine pls), neu roacanthocytosis (NA, six pts) and Huntington's chorea (HC, six pts). Sleep recording included C3/A2, 01/A2, ROC/LOC, submental EMG, EKG, na sal airflow thoracoabdominal respirogram, bilateral anterior tibialis and other EMGs, in relation to the individual distribution of the abno rmal movements. According to our observations, abnormal movements alwa ys decreased but never ceased completely during sleep. Sleep efficienc y (SE) was nearly always poor with a high percentage of wakefulness af ter sleep onset (WASO) and increased number of arousals. REM sleep was often reduced and in some cases (3 TS pts) incompletely defined as fa r as its microstructural aspects. Slow wave sleep (SWS) was reduced in HC, normal in NA, and increased in all TS patients with the exception of the two adult subjects more severely affected, while the percentag e of stage 2 was not affected. Spindling was increased in NA, HC and i n the two most severely affected adult TS patients.