Bernstein member involved: Michael Sommerauer

The study focuses on individuals with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD). In this rare sleep disorder, affected individuals physically act out their dreams during sleep because the normal muscle atonia present during REM sleep is absent.

A sleep disorder as a key to the early phase of Parkinson’s disease

This condition is of particular interest for research: it is considered one of the most reliable clinical markers of a very early stage of Parkinson’s disease. Studies show that a large proportion of affected individuals develop Parkinson’s disease or a related neurodegenerative disorder within ten to fifteen years.

“Individuals with iRBD are, in a sense, in a time window prior to the onset of Parkinson’s disease,” explains Privatdozent Dr. Michael Sommerauer, neurologist and head of the Section for Neurological Sleep Medicine at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) “Life and Health” at the University of Bonn. “This phase offers us a rare opportunity to understand which factors may actually trigger the disease process in the first place.” At the UKB, Sommerauer leads one of the largest German study cohorts of individuals with this sleep disorder, who are being examined comprehensively at both the clinical and biological levels.

When environmental factors interact with the body

The project brings together expertise from neurology, environmental health sciences, and bioinformatics. In blood and stool samples, the researchers analyze both external influences — such as environmental chemicals or dietary factors — and internal biological processes, including changes in the gut microbiome and metabolism. A particular focus is placed on the gut. As the largest interface between the body and the environment, it may play an important role in how environmental factors affect the nervous system.

“We aim to understand how environmental factors and biological processes in the body interact and may contribute to early neurodegenerative changes,” says Prof. Dr. Evelyn Lamy, Chair of Environmental Mechanisms of Health at the University of Augsburg. Her chair is part of the Environmental Health Sciences focus area of the Medical Faculty and coordinates the project. “Our goal is to identify so-called exposome signatures — that is, patterns of environmental exposures and biological changes associated with the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”

New perspectives for prevention

For the study, data and samples from around 300 participants across several European centers are being analyzed. In addition to molecular analyses, detailed clinical examinations, cognitive testing, and advanced MRI imaging are included in the evaluation. In the long term, the researchers hope to identify new approaches for the prevention and early intervention of Parkinson’s disease. The earlier risk factors are recognized, the greater the potential to influence disease progression. “If we understand how environmental and biological factors jointly contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease, entirely new opportunities for prevention will emerge,” says Lamy. Sommerauer adds: “Our goal is to detect the disease earlier in the future—and perhaps one day even prevent it.”