ABSTRACT
Nocturnal leg cramps are a frequent cause of sleep disturbance among the general population, especially among the elderly. These painful episodes can delay sleep onset and awaken the patient from sleep, as well as delay subsequent return to sleep. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. Although most cases of leg cramps are idiopathic, multiple secondary causes of sleep-related leg cramps have been identified as well. In this article, we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and risk factors and discuss the salient features of the diagnosis and workup. Finally, we review the wide array of behavioral and pharmacologic treatments that have been studied for nocturnal leg cramps.
Subject(s)
Sleep-Wake Transition Disorders , Humans , Risk Factors , Sleep-Wake Transition Disorders/diagnosis , Sleep-Wake Transition Disorders/epidemiology , Sleep-Wake Transition Disorders/therapyABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, researchers have examined various behavioral approaches to the treatment of epilepsy. One prominent line of inquiry concerns the effectiveness of neurofeedback, which entails the entrainment of specific electroencephalographic frequencies for the purpose of decreasing seizure frequencies in patients with epilepsy. This article reviews the current literature on the efficacy of neurofeedback in reducing seizure frequency. While it is clear that neurofeedback had a positive effect in most of the studies reviewed, these findings are limited due to multiple confounding factors. In the absence of any rigorously controlled studies, the relationship between neurofeedback and seizure frequency cannot be firmly established. Despite these limitations, the promising role of neurofeedback as a treatment for epilepsy is illustrated.
ABSTRACT
This article presents a succinct understanding of how to diagnose and manage hypersomnias of central origin, including narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and recurrent hypersomnias.