BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Motor Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1614797
Acute Pontine Infarction Inducing REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Novel Case Report
Provisionally accepted
Liuqing Wang1*
Hong Wang2- 1Department of Neurology, Nanjing Gaochun People's Hospital, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
- 2First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
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Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by the loss of physiological muscle atonia during REM sleep, resulting in dream-enacting behaviors that often manifest as complex, violent motor activity. While RBD may occur idiopathically, it is frequently associated with neurodegenerative disorders, particularly α-synucleino-pathies such as Parkinson's disease. However, secondary RBD linked to acute cerebrovascular events remains poorly documented. Here, we present a novel case of acute pontine infarction precipitating RBD, highlighting the brainstem's critical role in REM sleep regulation and expanding the spectrum of secondary RBD etiologies. This case report underscores the importance of neuroanatomical localization in evaluating acute-onset RBD, particularly in the context of cerebrovascular pathology.
Keywords: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), loss of physiological muscle atonia during REM sleep, Dream-enacting behaviors, acute pontine infarction, Dysarthria, left-sided limb numbness and weakness, nocturnal behavioral disturbances, Left hemiparesis
Received: 16 May 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Liuqing Wang, Department of Neurology, Nanjing Gaochun People's Hospital, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
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