This course was presented in person at World Sleep 2025 in Singapore.

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Session Schedule

Find a specific presentation in the course by navigating to the timestamp indicated below.

0:00:00
Introduction
Carlos Schenck (United States)

0:01:00
Disorders of arousal from NREM sleep
Federica Provini (Italy)

0:46:25
REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
Carlos Schenck (United States)

1:37:25
Sleep related eating disorder (SRED)
Yuichi Inoue (Japan)

2:23:35
Nightmares
Brigitte Holzinger (Austria)

3:06:05
Question and answer

Course Summary:

This course will cover NREM parasomnias (Disorders of Arousal; Sleep Related Eating Disorder [SRED]);
RBD; and parasomnias associated with OSA/RLS. Although NREM parasomnias are surprisingly common
in adults, they are often neglected in clinical settings as they are mistakenly thought to be mainly
childhood phenomena and harmless. The importance of their manifestations and consequences in adults
need to be appreciated. Disorders of arousal comprise a heterogeneous set of manifestations, combining
even in the same patient different motor, emotional and mental features across different episodes. SRED
pathologically combines two basic instincts, sleeping and eating, and is often a chronic disorder with
multiple adverse consequences. SRED is often comorbid with other NREM parasomnias, RLS, OSA, and
can be triggered by sedative-hypnotics. Treatment of SRED can be challenging, but new evidence indicates
the benefit of sertraline, besides topiramate and dopaminergics. RBD is a dream-enacting parasomnia that
features REM-without-atonia, and is often the first sign of future neurodegeneration in patients >50 years
old. A wide range of clinical conditions can be associated with RBD; antidepressant and other medications
can trigger RBD. Treatment is usually effective, primarily with clonazepam and melatonin. Finally, a wide
spectrum of secondary parasomnias can be triggered by OSA and RLS.

Learning objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
• Identify the motor, emotional and mental features of NREM parasomnias, and assess their impact, especially in adults. Additionally, participants should be able to understand the limits of several clinical criteria
• Explain the cardinal clinical features and diagnostic criteria of RBD, along with the range of RBD comorbidities and its effective management
• Describe the cardinal clinical features and diagnostic criteria of SRED. along with its comorbidities and therapeutic options.
• Examine the range of secondary parasomnias triggered by OSA and RLS, including Disorders of NREM Arousal, Sexsomnia, SRED, OSA pseudo-RBD, and other conditions