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Objective: To describe a case with night terrors (NT) symptomatic of a thalami c lesion. Methods: Videopoly somnography and brain MRI were used to study a 48 year old woman with a recent onset of brief episodes, occurring exclusively duri ng nocturnal sleep, where she suddenly sat up in bed, screamed and appeared to b e very frightened. Results: Videopolysomnography recorded an episode suggestive of NT. Sleep fragmentation with frequent brief arousals or microarousals was als o evident mainly during slow wave sleep. The brain MRI showed increased T2 signa l from the right thalamus suggestive of a low grade tumor. Conclusions: Our cas e suggests that NT starting in adulthood can, rarely, be symptomatic of neurolog ical disease, and warrant further investigation with MRI. Significance: A thalam ic dysfunction, disrupting at this level the arousal system, may play a role in provoking NT.
Methods: Videopolymerization and brain MRI were used to study a 48 year old woman with a recent onset of brief episodes, occurring exclusively duri ng nocturnal sleep, Results: Videopolysomnography recorded an episode suggestive of NT. Sleep fragmentation with frequent brief arousals or microarousals was als o evident mainly during slow wave sleep. The brain MRI showed increased in T2 sign a l from the right thalamus suggestive of a low grade tumor. Conclusions: Our cas e suggests that NT starting in adulthood can, rarely, be symptomatic of neurological disease, and warrant further investigation with MRI. Significance: A thalam ic dysfunction, disrupting at this level the arousal system, may play a role in provoking NT.