Putative Animal Models of Restless Legs Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Evaluation of Their Face and Construct Validity.

ABSTRACT: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor disorder that severely affects sleep. It is characterized by an urge to move the legs, which is often accompanied by periodic limb movements during sleep. RLS has a high prevalence in the population and is usually a life-long condition. While its origins remain unclear, RLS is initially highly responsive to treatment with dopaminergic agonists that target D2-like receptors, in particular D2 and D3, but the long-term response is often unsatisfactory. Over the years, several putative animal models for RLS have been developed, mainly based on the epidemiological and neurochemical link with iron deficiency, treatment efficacy of D2-like dopaminergic agonists, or genome-wide association studies that identified risk factors in the patient population

SUBMITTER: Silvani A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10119375 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature