Cognitive deficits in patients with restless legs syndrome

Stephany Fulda

Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
Munich, Germany

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensorimotor disorder, affecting up to 5% of the adult population. Characterized by leg discomfort that is alleviated by leg movement, RLS symptoms are most pronounced at night and interfere with sleep onset and maintenance. Additionally, RLS symptoms are associated with reduced quality of life, excessive sleepiness, impaired mood and cognition.1,2 Recent work by Stephany Fulda and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry the impact of RLS on a broad range of cognitive and executive functions, including attention and working memory, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, and abstract reasoning.( Mov Disord. 2010 Nov 15;25(15):2641-8) 3 Interestingly, their study found that patients with RLS had impairments in discrete areas of cognition and executive function which may be indirectly related to sleep deprivation and reduced sleep efficiency in this patient population, or may be a direct result of the pathophysiology of RLS itself.4 Here, Stephany Fulda discusses the prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with RLS, relevant therapeutic options, and future avenues of research in the pathophysiology and treatment of this debilitating disorder.

References

Becker PM. The biopsychosocial effects of restless legs syndrome (RLS). Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2006;2:505-512.
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.
Fulda S, Beitinger ME, Reppermund S, Winkelmann J, Wetter TC. Short-term attention and verbal fluency is decreased in restless legs syndrome patients. Mov Disord. 2010;25:2641-2648.
Fulda S, Schulz H. How treatment affects cognitive deficits in patients with sleep disorders: methodological issues and results. Prog Brain Res. 2010;185:69-90.

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