Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 224 (2020) 102638
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Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/autneu
Editorial
Autonomic impairment in sleep: An introduction to the special edition
Sleep, like wakefulness, is a complex behavior involving autonomic
activities as well as pain modulation, motor control and cognition. The
automatic processes of respiration, thermoregulation, and cardiovas-
cular control, among others, all involve complex feedback systems
orchestrated by the autonomic nervous system. It is thus not surprising
that when sleep is disrupted, either in quality, quantity, or timing,
symptoms of autonomic impairment may emerge. In addition, the re-
lationship between sleep and autonomic impairment is bidirectional.
Not only are most primary autonomic disorders associated with
symptoms of sleep disruption, but nearly all primary sleep disorders are
associated with symptoms of autonomic impairment. Just as a healthy
diet and regular exercise, quality sleep is paramount to our homeostatic
well-being. For these reasons, the treatment of any patient with an
autonomic disorder should also include assessment and treatment of
comorbid sleep disorders. Likewise, physicians who treat primary sleep
disorders should be aware of the autonomic complications of these
conditions.
⁎
Corresponding author.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2020.102638
1566-0702/ © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
T
In this special issue of Autonomic Neuroscience, we have collected a
series of original reviews that discuss this intricate relationship, from
the autonomic impairment seen in common sleep disorders such as
obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome, to the
less discussed but equally important relationship of autonomic im-
pairment in REM sleep behavior disorder, and the rare but highly il-
lustrative conditions of fatal familial insomnia, congenital hypoventi-
lation, and familial dysautonomia. We hope you enjoy reading these
articles as much as we enjoyed editing them, and that they stimulate
further thought and discussion on this topic.
Giovanna Calandra-Buonauraa, Pietro Cortellia, Mitchell Miglisb, ,
⁎
Jose-Alberto Palmac
a
Department of Neurology, University of Bologna
b
Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
c
Department of Neurology, New York University
E-mail address: mmiglis@stanford.edu (M. Miglis).