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Researchers have found that people with restless legs syndrome – a disorder that causes a powerful urge to move the legs, particularly at night – have reduced function in an area of the brain important for controlling movement.
Preliminary results from a new study at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) suggest that people with this disorder have up to 80 percent less function in this brain region compared with healthy people.
"This is a disorder that is thought to affect 1 in 20 people, and can severely affect quality of life, but we still don't know very much about it," says neuroscientist Assoc Prof Kay Double.
"This study is helping us understand what happens in the brain to cause these symptoms, which will help us find better treatments," she says.
These brain MRIs are of a healthy person (left) and a person with restless legs syndrome (right). The nerve bundles (coloured), in a region known to be important for controlling movement, are markedly reduced in the person with RLS.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes uncomfortable sensations in the limbs.
The NeuRA study is using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for changes in the structure and function of the brain.
"This is the first time that anyone has looked for these type of changes in people with restless legs syndrome," says A/Prof Double.
"If we can understand what is happening in the brain, we will be one step closer to helping the thousands of Australians with restless legs get a better night's sleep and lead a better quality of life."
NOTE: We are recruiting people aged 50-70 years with restless legs syndrome and healthy people of the same age for this study. Click here for more information on participating, or call 02 9399 1155.
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