Objective: To evaluate the progression of autonomic dysfunction over one year in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) with and without comorbid insomnia.
Background: Insomnia and autonomic dysfunction are common non-motor symptoms in PD and substantially reduce the quality of life. Both are believed to reflect degeneration of brainstem autonomic and arousal networks. However, the relationship between insomnia and the burden of autonomic symptoms remains unknown.
Method: A secondary analysis was conducted using the open-access dataset from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative. Autonomic dysfunction was assessed using the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease–Autonomic questionnaire (SCOPA-AUT). Patients with SCOPA-AUT scores at baseline and one-year follow-up were included and stratified by the presence of insomnia. Changes in SCOPA-AUT scores between baseline and one year were analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs test.
Results: A total of 1,015 PD patients had SCOPA-AUT scores at baseline and one-year. Most participants were men (61.8%) with a mean age of 62.5 years. Sixteen patients had comorbid insomnia at baseline. Demographics and baseline SCOPA-AUT subscores were similar between groups, except for the thermoregulatory domain, which showed a trend toward higher scores in patients with insomnia (1.9 vs 1.4; p=0.054). Overall autonomic dysfunction scores increased over one year in the cohort; however, the increase reached statistical significance only among patients without baseline insomnia.
Conclusion: Thermoregulatory dysfunction appeared more prominent in patients with baseline insomnia, although the small insomnia subgroup limited comparisons of autonomic progression. Larger studies are needed to clarify the relationship between sleep disturbance and specific domains of autonomic dysfunction in PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
D. Petrosyan, P. Bhaya, P. Coss, S. Horn, E. Vaou, L. Saadatpour. Exploring the Relationship Between Insomnia and Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease: A 1 Year SCOPA-AUT Analysis [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/exploring-the-relationship-between-insomnia-and-autonomic-dysfunction-in-parkinsons-disease-a-1-year-scopa-aut-analysis/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/exploring-the-relationship-between-insomnia-and-autonomic-dysfunction-in-parkinsons-disease-a-1-year-scopa-aut-analysis/