Ectopic beat is a disturbance of the cardiac rhythm frequently related to the electrical conduction system of the heart, in which beats arise from fibers or group of fibers outside the region in the heart muscle ordinarily responsible for impulse formation (i.e., the sinoatrial node). An ectopic beat can be further classified as either a premature ventricular contraction, or a premature atrial contraction.Some patients describe this experience as a "flip" or a "jolt" in the chest, or a "heart hiccup", while others report dropped or missed beats. Ectopic beats are more common during periods of stress, exercise or debility; they may also be triggered by consumption of some food like carbohydrates, strong cheese, or chocolate.It is a form of cardiac arrhythmia in which ectopic foci within either ventricular or atrial myocardium, or from finer branches of the electric transduction system, cause additional beats of the heart. Some medications may worsen the phenomenon.Ectopic beats are considered normal and are not indicative of cardiac pathology. Ectopic beats often remain undetected and occur as part of minor errors in the heart conduction system. They are rarely indicative of cardiac pathology, although may occur more frequently or be more noticeable in those with existing cardiac abnormalities.
Synucleinopathies (also called α-Synucleinopathies) are neurodegenerative diseases characterised by the abnormal accumulation of aggregates of alpha-synuclein protein in neurons, nerve fibres or glial cells. There are three main types of synucleinopathy: Parkinsons disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Other rare disorders, such as various neuroaxonal dystrophies, also have α-synuclein pathologies. Additionally, autopsy studies have shown that around 6% of sporadic Alzheimers Disease exhibit α-synuclein positive Lewy pathology, and are sub-classed as Alzheimers Disease with Amygdalar Restricted Lewy Bodies (AD/ALB). Presentation
The synucleinopathies have shared features of parkinsonism, impaired cognition, sleep disorders, and visual hallucinations.Synucleinopathies can sometimes overlap with tauopathies, possibly because of interaction between the synuclein and tau proteins.REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia in which individuals with RBD lose the paralysis of muscles (atonia) that is normal during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and act out their dreams or have other abnormal movements or vocalizations. Abnormal sleep behaviors may appear decades before any other symptoms, often as an early sign of a synucleinopathy. On autopsy, 94 to 98% of individuals with polysomnography-confirmed RBD are found to have a synucleinopathy—most commonly DLB or PD. Other symptoms of the specific synucleinopathy usually manifest within 15 years of the diagnosis of RBD, but may emerge up to 50 years after RBD diagnosis.Alpha-synuclein deposits can affect the cardiac muscle and blood vessels. Almost all people with synucleinopathies have cardiovascular dysfunction, although most are asymptomatic.From chewing to defecation, alpha-synuclein deposits affect every level of gastrointestinal function.