South Korean researchers have identified a certain gene related to sleep disorders such as sleepwalking and night terrors.

A research team led by Shin Hee-seop at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology said on Monday that it had learned that a damaged or defective gene named "T-type calcium channel" led to disruptions of sound and deep sleep.

Their finidngs have been published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.