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.