Involvement of central sensory pathways in subjects with restless legs syndrome: A neurophysiological study

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 1772; p. 147673
• Main Authors: Nardone, Raffaele, Sebastianelli, Luca, Versace, Viviana, Orioli, Andrea, Saltuari, Leopold, Trinka, Eugen, Höller, Yvonne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2021
• Subjects: High-frequency oscillations; Neurology; Restless legs syndrome; Sensory cortex; Somatosensory evoked potentials; Thalamo-cortical projections; High-frequency oscillations; Restless legs syndrome; Sensory cortex; Somatosensory evoked potentials; Thalamo-cortical projections
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147673

•We assessed the HF-SEPs in subjects suffering from RLS of different severity degrees.•In severe RLS the amplitude of both pre- and post-synaptic HF-SEPs was significantly reduced.•Desynchronization of presynaptic bursts suggests an impairment in the thalamo-cortical projections.•Desynchronization of presynaptic bursts suggests an impairment in the cortical inhibitory interneurons activity.•This technique may shed light on the pathophysiological mechanisms of RLS. In patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) a motor cortical disinhibition has been reported in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies, but the neuronal excitability in other cortical areas has been poorly explored. The aim of this study was the functional evaluation of thalamo-cortical circuits and inhibitory cortical responses in the sensory cortex in RLS. We assessed the high-frequency somatosensory evoked potentials (HF-SEP) in sixteen subjects suffering from RLS of different degrees of severity. In patients with severe or very severe RLS we found a significant desynchronization with amplitude reduction of both pre- and post-synaptic HF-SEP bursts, which suggest an impairment in the thalamo-cortical projections and in the cortical inhibitory interneurons activity, respectively. The assessment of the central sensory pathways by means of HF-SEP may shed light on the pathophysiological mechanisms of RLS.