After analyzing the DNA of a family for four generations, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine (USA) believe they have discovered certain alterations in the genetic code that cause some people to sleepwalking .
According to the results of the study published in the journal Neurology , the problem could be due to an alteration in a section of chromosome 20 . A single defective copy of the chromosome would be enough for a person to get up and walk while sleeping, concludes Christina Gurnett, co-author of the work.
Across the four generations studied, 9 of the 22 family members turned out to be sleepwalkers, and one of the youngest, 12 years old, habitually left the house and wandered at night. Another member frequently woke up wearing eight pairs of socks. Using saliva samples to analyze the DNA of all the subjects, Gurnett and his colleagues observed that the alteration of a genetic code part of chromosome 20 had passed from generation to generation and made anyone sleepwalking.
Although they have not yet determined the exact gene that determines the appearance of this sleep disorder – there are up to 28 genes involved – the authors hope that the study will help find a treatment for sleepwalking , which affects 10% of the child population and 2% of the adult population.
