Dissociation of periodic leg movements from arousals in restless legs syndrome

This study demonstrates that a selective pharmacological approach can disconnect PLMS from arousal events, suggesting an indirect relation between each other. These results might weaken the hypothesis of a direct pathological role of PLMS in sleep disruption and can be important for the discussion on the existence of a distinct entity called periodic limb movements disorder. Moreover, the study opens the doors to the possibility of a joint treatment for RLS targeting sensory and motor symptoms, as well as sleep instability.