Myoclonus in familial restless legs syndrome.
Eighteen members of a family were affected over a span of five generations with the restless legs syndrome, transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. Ten patients had myoclonus. The propositus, a 57-year-old man, suffered from repeated, intense, asymmetric flexion jerks of the lower extremities, alternating with fidgeting and friction movements of the legs; all occurred at night prior to sleep and severely interfering with it. The patient's movements ceased with the onset of stage 1 sleep, while in his brother, the motor activity persisted in stages 1 and 2 of sleep.
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009207:Myoclonus / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010375:Pedigree; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012890:Sleep; D013577:Syndrome