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Cabergoline reverses cortical hyperexcitability in patients with restless legs syndrome
Author(s) -
Nardone R.,
Ausserer H.,
Bratti A.,
Covi M.,
Lochner P.,
Marth R.,
Tezzon F.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2006.00669.x
Subject(s) - cabergoline , transcranial magnetic stimulation , dopaminergic , restless legs syndrome , dopamine agonist , medicine , silent period , psychology , dopamine , motor cortex , agonist , dopaminergic pathways , neuroscience , anesthesia , stimulation , neurology , prolactin , receptor , hormone
Objective – To reverse the profile of abnormal intracortical excitability in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) by administering the dopaminergic agonist cabergoline. Methods – The effects of this drug on motor cortex excitability were examined with a range of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols before and after administration of cabergoline over a period of 4 weeks in 14 patients with RLS and in 15 healthy volunteers. Measures of cortical excitability included central motor conduction time; resting and active motor threshold to TMS; duration of the cortical silent period; short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation using a paired‐pulse TMS technique. Results – Short latency intracortical inhibition was significantly reduced in RLS patients compared with the controls and this abnormal profile was reversed by treatment with cabergoline; the other TMS parameters did not differ significantly from the controls and remained unaffected after treatment with cabergoline. Cabergoline had no effect on cortical excitability of the normal subjects. Conclusions – As dopaminergic drugs are known to increase SICI, our findings suggest that RLS may be caused by a central nervous system dopaminergic dysfunction. This study demonstrates that the cortical hyperexcitability of RLS is reversed by cabergoline, and provides physiological evidence that this dopamine agonist may be a potentially efficacious option for the treatment of RLS.