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Nardone R, Sebastianelli L, Versace V, Brigo F, Golaszewski S, Pucks-Faes E, Saltuari L, Trinka E. Contribution of transcranial magnetic stimulation in restless legs syndrome: pathophysiological insights and therapeutical approaches. Sleep Med 2020; 71:124-134. [PMID: 32088150 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may offer a reliable means to characterize significant pathophysiologic and neurochemical aspects of restless legs syndrome (RLS). Namely, TMS has revealed specific patterns of changes in cortical excitability and plasticity, in particular dysfunctional inhibitory mechanisms and sensorimotor integration, which are thought to be part of the pathophysiological mechanisms of RLS rather than reflect a non-specific consequence of sleep architecture alteration. If delivered repetitively, TMS is able to transiently modulate the neural activity of the stimulated and connected areas. Some studies have begun to therapeutically use repetitive TMS (rTMS) to improve sensory and motor disturbances in RLS. High-frequency rTMS applied over the primary motor cortex or the supplementary motor cortex, as well as low-frequency rTMS over the primary somatosensory cortex, seem to have transient beneficial effects. However, further studies with larger patient samples, repeated sessions, an optimized rTMS setup, and clinical follow-up are needed in order to corroborate preliminary results. Thus, we performed a systematic search of all the studies that have used TMS and rTMS techniques in patients with RLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Stefan Golaszewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, UMIT, Hall in Tirol, Austria
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de Paiva JPQ, Magalhães SC, Moura LM, Sato JR, Amaro E, Sterr A, Schlaffke L, Eckeli AL, do Prado GF, Conforto AB. Sensorimotor white matter projections and disease severity in primary Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease: a multimodal DTI analysis. Sleep Med 2020; 73:106-116. [PMID: 32805477 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Restless Legs Syndrome, a potentially disabling sleep disorder, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED), may be caused by loss of inhibitory modulation of descending central motor pathways, structural changes in the somatosensory cortex, abnormal connectivity between motor and sensory areas, as well as by subtle abnormalities in white matter micro-organization. OBJECTIVE To compare diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) metrics in areas associated with sensory or motor function, as well as sensorimotor integration, between subjects with primary mild-to-severe RLS/WED and controls. METHODS DTI metrics were assessed in 38 subjects with RLS/WED (14 mild to moderate, 24 severe to very severe) and 24 healthy age-matched controls with whole-brain Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS), Region-of-interest (ROI) and probabilistic tractography based analyses. The ROIs corresponded to the corticospinal tract (CST) at the level of the cerebral peduncle; the superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles. Subgroup analyses were made according to the severity of RLS/WED symptoms. The corticospinal tract was evaluated with probabilistic tractography. We also explored associations between significant findings and severity of symptoms with the Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS TBSS analysis revealed decreased axial diffusivity (AD) in the left posterior thalamic radiation in RLS/WED. In subjects with severe RLS/WED, AD was reduced in the left posterior corona radiata and this reduction was negatively correlated with severity of symptoms. ROI-based analysis showed that radial diffusivity (RD) was increased in the superior cerebellar peduncles of individuals with severe RLS/WED. Tractography did not show between-group or subgroup differences. CONCLUSIONS Our results are consistent with subtle white matter changes, prominently in RLS/WED subjects with more severe symptoms, in areas related to sensory or motor function, as well as to sensorimotor integration, compared to controls. These findings support the hypothesis, raised by prior pathophysiological studies, of defective integration within these networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joselisa Péres Queiroz de Paiva
- Brain Institute, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Imaging Research Center, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Samir Câmara Magalhães
- Brain Institute, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Universidade de Fortaleza (UNIFOR), Unifor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Luciana Monteiro Moura
- Imaging Research Center, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - João Ricardo Sato
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Edson Amaro
- Brain Institute, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Imaging Research Center, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Annette Sterr
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Lara Schlaffke
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Alan Luiz Eckeli
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Adriana Bastos Conforto
- Brain Institute, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Magalhães SC, Queiroz de Paiva JP, Kaelin-Lang A, Sterr A, Eckeli AL, Winkler AM, Fernandes do Prado G, Amaro E, Conforto AB. Short-interval intracortical inhibition is decreased in restless legs syndrome across a range of severity. Sleep Med 2019; 62:34-42. [PMID: 31539846 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decreased short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex was described in subjects with restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED). It remained to be determined whether the magnitude of SICI decrease would be similar across levels of RLS/WED severity. Moreover, it was unknown whether, in addition to decreases in SICI, changes in cortical thickness or area could be detected in subjects with RLS/WED compared to controls. The objective of this study was to compare SICI, cortical thickness, and cortical area in subjects with idiopathic mild to moderate RLS/WED, severe to very severe RLS/WED, and controls. METHODS The severity of RLS/WED was assessed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Severity Scale (IRLSS). SICI and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of subjects with RLS/WED and controls were compared. A receiver operating characteristic curve for SICI was designed for discrimination of participants with RLS/WED from controls. Cortical thickness and area were assessed by automated surface-based analysis. RESULTS SICI was significantly reduced in patients with mild to moderate and severe to very severe RLS/WED, compared to controls (one-way analysis of variance: F = 9.62, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis predicted RLS/WED when SICI was above 35% (area under the curve = 0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.91, p < 0.001). Analyses of the whole brain and of regions of interest did not reveal differences in gray matter thickness or area between controls and subjects with RLS/WED. CONCLUSION SICI is an accurate cortical biomarker that can support the diagnosis of RLS/WED even in subjects with mild symptoms, but cortical thickness and area were not useful for discriminating subjects with this condition from controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Câmara Magalhães
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Universidade de Fortaleza, Unifor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Annette Sterr
- Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
| | - Alan Luiz Eckeli
- Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Divisão de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP-Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Edson Amaro
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Radiologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Adriana Bastos Conforto
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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