Neuropathology of primary restless leg syndrome: Absence of specific τ- and α-synuclein pathology
✍ Scribed by Sean J. Pittock; Timothy Parrett; Charles H. Adler; Joseph E. Parisi; Dennis W. Dickson; J. Eric Ahlskog
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2004
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 66 KB
- Volume
- 19
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-3185
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The neuroanatomical substrate for restless legs syndrome (RLS) is unknown. We identified 4 patients with idiopathic RLS who came to post‐mortem examination, where brain and spinal cord tissue were available for neuropathological assessment. Lewy bodies were not identified and α‐synuclein immunohistochemistry was uniformly negative. Neurofibrillary tangle pathology was variable and nonspecific. These findings suggest that τ‐ or α‐synuclein brain pathology is not a component of primary RLS. Although chronic ischemic changes were found in all 4 cases, these were probably incidental. The absence of diagnostic microscopic brain or spinal cord pathology suggests that the pathologic substrate may be neurochemical or receptor based. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society