Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), enactment of dreams during REM sleep, is
an early clinical symptom of alpha-synucleinopathies. RBD also defines more severe forms of alphasynucleinopathies. The genetic background of RBD and its underlying mechanisms are not well
understood. Here, we performed the first genome-wide association study of RBD, identifying five RBD risk
loci. Expression analyses highlight SNCA-AS1 and SCARB2 differential expression in different brain
regions in RBD, with SNCA-AS1 further supported by colocalization analyses. Genetic risk score and
other analyses provide further insights into RBD genetics, highlighting RBD as a unique subpopulation
that will allow future early intervention. CLICK TO REVIEW