The neuroimaging change of restless legs syndrome and its neuromechanism

Abstract

The neuroimaging provides a lot of useful information about the neuromechanism of restless legs syndrome (RLS). The voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging findings reported brain microstructural abnormalities, which were more consistent concerning levels of white matter and belonged to the sensorimotor and limbic system. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies also demonstrated the neural activity and/or functional connectivity changes in the sensorimotor and limbic network. Positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography studies supported the dysfunction of the dopaminergic pathways involving not only the nigrostriatal but also mesolimbic pathways. Iron-sensitive MRI verified low brain iron content mainly in substantia nigra and thalamus. The primary change might be the reduction of brain iron content, which leads to the dysfunction of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways and in turn to a dysregulation of sensorimotor and limbic network resulting in the symptoms of RLS. Key words: Restless legs syndrome; Magnetic resonance imaging; Tomography, emission-computed, single-photon