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Short-Latency Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Restless Leg Syndrome

Nimet Dörtcan, Meryem Kaydan, Eren Gözke, Pelin Doğan Ak

Med Sci Tech 2016; 57:55-60

DOI: 10.12659/MST.898250


BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by pain and restlessness in the legs and other parts of the body that prevents sleep. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) are wave patterns that can be recorded from peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and/or cerebral cortex after stimulating cutaneous afferents or peripheral nerves. The aim of this study was to investigate afferent pathways by SEP in RLS patients.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty patients with idiopathic RLS and 40 healthy individuals were included in the study. Posterior tibial SEP study was performed in all subjects, as well as blood analysis and EMG to exclude secondary causes.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in terms of P37 and N45 latency and P37–N45 amplitudes of right and left leg separately and comparison of all legs (p>0.05). When the average of P37 and N45 latency differences and P37–N45 amplitudes differences were compared, the RLS group had significantly higher values (p<0.05). When the control group’s lower limit of the average P37–N45 amplitude was calculated, we found that 2 patients (5%) in the RLS group had lower amplitude.
CONCLUSIONS: The difference between right and left latency and amplitudes offers a new way to study RLS. Our results cannot show an exact localization to explain pathophysiology of the disease, but they seem to point the way. Although SEP study is not a primary tool to diagnose RLS, it can be used to demonstrate sensorimotor disintegration and could help explain the pathogenesis.

Keywords: Evoked Potentials, Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory, Restless Legs Syndrome

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