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What is this study about?

In this study, we focused on REM Behavior Disorder, a disorder that causes people to move and act out their dreams during deep sleep (specifically, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep).

How did we conduct this study?

We used a process called Lesion Network Mapping (LNM). This compares the location of the injury to connected circuits in the brain (called networks) to see how injuries to these networks are involved in developing REM Behavior Disorder.

What did we find?

We found that the injured areas of the brain had similar patterns of activity/inactivity as compared to the cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, and left insula (shown in green in the picture below).

The injured areas had opposite activity/inactivity patterns as compared to the areas in red, including the primary motor and sensory cortices. This seems to mean that, in the individuals studied, the injured part of the brain may have been in charge of "turning off" motor control during REM sleep. Inability to "turn off" motor control may have led the individuals to develop REM Behavior Disorder.

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