Restless legs syndrome: is it all in the genes?

Restless legs syndrome is a common movement disorder that presents with unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities and results in an irresistible urge to move the legs, particularly at night-time and during quiet wakefulness. Although not fatal, restless legs syndrome can cause disabling fragmentation of sleep, leading to cognitive and mood symptoms and decreased quality of life. 1 Pearson VE Allen RP Dean T Gamaldo CE Lesage SR Earley CJ Cognitive deficits associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Sleep Med. 2006; 7: 25-30 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (164) Google Scholar , 2 Sevim S Dogu O Kaleagasi H Aral M Metin O Camdeviren H Correlation of anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with restless legs syndrome: a population based survey. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004; 75: 226-230 PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Li Y Mirzaei F O'Reilly EJ et al. Prospective study of restless legs syndrome and risk of depression in women. Am J Epidemiol. 2012; 176: 279-288 Crossref PubMed Scopus (70) Google Scholar Despite a prevalence of about 10% in the elderly population, the pathophysiology is not well understood. Identification of novel risk loci for restless legs syndrome in genome-wide association studies in individuals of European ancestry: a meta-analysisIdentification of new candidate genes and associated pathways will inform future functional research. Advances in understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie restless legs syndrome could lead to new treatment options. We focused on common variants; thus, additional studies are needed to dissect the roles of rare and structural variations. Full-Text PDF Open Access