RLS Studies

"Dopamine and Iron in Restless Legs Syndrome"

HBV02-12-12-01

Summary
This research is being done so we may learn more about Restless Legs Syndrome. We will be looking at the amount of different chemicals in the blood and brain. We are also studying changes in hormones, which can be found in your blood. We will be looking at various aspects of sleep and wake behavior.
Length
All subjects will be admitted to one of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at Johns Hopkins for 5 days.
Compensation
You will be reimbursed $2,000 for completing the entire study. You will be paid $50 for completing the screening, $150 for completing all of the SIT, PSG and MRI; $200 for each PET scans that is completed (if all 4 scans are completed then you receive $800 for the PET portion of the study); and you will receive $1,000 for completing the lumbar puncture.
Inclusion Criteria
RLS Subjects

• Clinical diagnosis of RLS meeting the following 4 clinical criteria when not treated with medications. Symptoms must occur 7 days a week for at least the past 6 months in order to ensure symptomatic state during the period of study.
• PLMS/hr as determined by LAM or PSG must be 10 or greater, to provide accurate numbers of PLMS for use as the primary "objective" measure of RLS severity.
• For the last 6 months patient must have regular sleep times that are between 9 PM and 9 AM for at least 5 out of 7 nights. This seeks to ensure a reasonably normal circadian pattern and in particular excludes shift workers.

Control Subjects
The control subjects will be matched for age, race and gender with RLS subjects. Controls will be studied for sleep disorders and must meet all the exclusion criteria that are listed below; and have none of the 4 defining symptoms for RLS; and have PLMS/hr <15 on a PSG or LAM and PLMW/hr < 5 on the evening SIT. These follow the same criteria currently established for our R01 study. Participants must have a primary care provider and an EKG within the last month. In addition, they must not have any history of High Blood Pressure and not have donated blood within the last month.