MDS 2021 | Predicting progression of iRBD to neurodegenerative disease

Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a powerful early sign of Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, with around 80-90% of cases converting to an overt neurodegenerative syndrome within 10 years. Claudio Bassetti, MD, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, talks on research efforts aimed at predicting the progression of RBD. Numerous potential predictors have been tested, including clinical, cognitive, and paraclinical tests, and neuroimaging. Markers able to predict the rapidity of conversion are beginning to come to light, something which is critical to guide when and how to begin treatment in these patients. This interview took place during the 2021 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.