World Sleep 2022 | Neurodegenerative changes to the substantia nigra in parkinsonism – volume reduction

Rahul Gaurav, PhD, Paris Brain Institute, Paris, France, specializes in the study of physiological changes in brain regions associated with Parkinson’s disease pathology. Dr Gaurav postulates that progressive volume reduction of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), observable via neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI), in patients with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and in early or progressing Parkinson’s disease, suggests a spectrum of disease severity, from healthy volunteers to prodromal iRBD to Parkinson’s disease, that could be directly linked to physiological markers. This interview was recorded at the World Sleep Congress 2022 in Rome, Italy.