1. SPECT imaging of striatal pre- and postsynaptic dopaminergic status in restless legs syndrome with periodic leg movements in sleep
- Author
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Martin Michaud, Jean-Paul Soucy, Gilles Lavigne, Allal Chabli, and Jacques Montplaisir
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pyrrolidines ,Neurology ,Dopamine ,Presynaptic Terminals ,Synaptic Membranes ,Nerve Tissue Proteins ,Polysomnography ,Neurological disorder ,Binding, Competitive ,Synaptic Transmission ,Functional Laterality ,Cocaine ,Postsynaptic potential ,Restless Legs Syndrome ,Spect imaging ,Internal medicine ,mental disorders ,medicine ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,Restless legs syndrome ,Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ,Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins ,Membrane Glycoproteins ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Dopaminergic ,Membrane Transport Proteins ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Neostriatum ,Endocrinology ,Benzamides ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,Psychology ,Neuroscience ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep-related disorder principally characterised by leg paresthesia associated with an irresistible urge to move. A majority of RLS patients experience periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) and wakefulness. Pharmacological evidence suggests that RLS-PLMS may be caused by a central nervous system dopaminergic (DA) dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the striatal pre- and postsynaptic DA status in patients suffering from both RLS and PLMS, by means of [123I] beta-CIT and [123I]IBZM SPECT respectively. Ten drug-naïve patients and ten age-matched controls participated in this study. All participants were recorded for at least one night of polysomnography before the SPECT studies. No difference was seen in DA transporter ([123I] beta-CIT) binding between RLS-PLMS patients (MD=4.89) and controls (MD=4.81; p=0.81). The study of the striatal D2-receptor binding ([123I]IBZM) revealed a significantly lower binding in patients (MD= 1.72) compared with controls (MD=1.85; p=0.006). These results support the hypothesis that a central DA dysfunction is involved in the physiopathology of RLS-PLMS. Several mechanisms may be responsible for the decrease of the D2-receptor binding. However, since [123I] beta-CIT binding is normal, a decreased number of D2-receptors or a decreased affinity of D2-receptors for [123I]IBZM is more likely than an increased level of synaptic DA with attendant downregulation of D2-receptors.
- Published
- 2002