PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Brodeur, C.
AU  - Montplaisir, J.
AU  - Godbout, R.
AU  - Marinier, R.
TI  - Treatment of restless legs syndrome and periodic movements during sleep with
AID  - 10.1212/WNL.38.12.1845
DP  - 1988 Dec 01
TA  - Neurology
PG  - 1845--1845
VI  - 38
IP  - 12
4099  - http://n.neurology.org/content/38/12/1845.short
4100  - http://n.neurology.org/content/38/12/1845.full
SO  - Neurology1988 Dec 01; 38
AB  - Six patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic movements during sleep (PMS) received placebo or L-dopa in a double-blind study. We recorded patients for 36 consecutive hours in the sleep laboratory during a baseline investigation and at the end of each treatment period. Daily evening questionnaires and a suggested immobilization test (SIT) performed at bedtime on each recording night documented the effect of L-dopa in RLS. A nocturnal EMG recording of the anterior tibialis muscles revealed the effect of L-dopa on PMS. L-Dopa proved effective in treating both RLS and PMS. Although not present in every patient, leg movements recorded during the SIT exhibited a clear periodicity. These observations support the hypothesis that RLS and PMS are two manifestations of the same central sensorimotor disorder.