Nocturnal eating: sleep-related eating disorder or night eating syndrome?
In our patients, eating episodes occurred with normal consciousness and recall. Chewing or swallowing movements during sleep occurred frequently, resembling rhythmic masticatory-muscle activity in bruxism patients. The presence of periodic limb movements during sleep and chewing activity, the reported efficacy of dopaminergic medications, and the compulsory food-seeking behavior all argue for a dopaminergic dysfunction underlying the pathogenesis of sleep-related eating disorder.
Transcription factor Sp1 is dysfunctional in the ACG of autistic brain. Consequently, the expression of potential autism candidate genes regulated by Sp1, especially OXTR and PTEN, could be affected. The diverse downstream pathways mediated by the Sp1-regulated genes, along with the environmental and intracellular signal-related regulation of Sp1, could explain the complex phenotypes associated with autism.