This brief review documents some of the important contributions of recent sleep research to the understanding of a number of neurological conditions. Narcoleptic attacks have been shown to be either episodes of NREM or REM sleep; and cataplexy, sleep paralysis and vivid hypnagogic hallucinations consist of dissociated or inappropriate REM sleep. Important relationships of the hypersomnias and various comas to sleep mechanisms are being increasingly elucidated. Various types of epileptic seizures have been found to be affected differentially by the two types of sleep and by arousal from them; and sleep deprivation may activate or perpetuate epilepsy. Finally, some miscellaneous conditions, such as dyskinesias, cerebrovascular accidents, migraine, and memory and repair functions have been considered. As well as being of pathophysiological interest, much of this new knowledge has a direct diagnostic and therapeutic relevance.
A clinician’s guide to recurrent isolated sleep paralysis
