Cabergoline reverses cortical hyperexcitability in patients with restless legs syndrome.
Acta Neurol Scand
; 114(4): 244-9, 2006 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16942543
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To reverse the profile of abnormal intracortical excitability in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) by administering the dopaminergic agonist cabergoline.METHODS:
The effects of this drug on motor cortex excitability were examined with a range of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols before and after administration of cabergoline over a period of 4 weeks in 14 patients with RLS and in 15 healthy volunteers. Measures of cortical excitability included central motor conduction time; resting and active motor threshold to TMS; duration of the cortical silent period; short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation using a paired-pulse TMS technique.RESULTS:
Short latency intracortical inhibition was significantly reduced in RLS patients compared with the controls and this abnormal profile was reversed by treatment with cabergoline; the other TMS parameters did not differ significantly from the controls and remained unaffected after treatment with cabergoline. Cabergoline had no effect on cortical excitability of the normal subjects.CONCLUSIONS:
As dopaminergic drugs are known to increase SICI, our findings suggest that RLS may be caused by a central nervous system dopaminergic dysfunction. This study demonstrates that the cortical hyperexcitability of RLS is reversed by cabergoline, and provides physiological evidence that this dopamine agonist may be a potentially efficacious option for the treatment of RLS.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Síndrome das Pernas Inquietas
/
Encefalopatias
/
Ergolinas
/
Córtex Motor
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Acta Neurol Scand
Ano de publicação:
2006
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália