title: Periodic leg movements during sleep and cerebral hemodynamic changes detected by NIRS.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) have been shown to be associated with changes in autonomic and hemispheric activities. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) assesses hemodynamic changes linked to hemispheric/cortical activity. We applied NIRS to test whether cerebral hemodynamic alterations accompany PLMS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three PLMS patients underwent nocturnal polysomnography coupled with cerebral NIRS. EEG correlates of PLMS were scored and NIRS data were analysed for the identification of correspondent hemodynamic changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PLMS were constantly associated with cerebral hemodynamic fluctuations that showed greater amplitude when associated to changes in EEG and were present also in absence of any visually detectable arousal or A phase in the EEG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study documenting cerebral hemodynamic changes linked to PLMS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical relevance of these observations remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pizza
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biallas
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Philipp O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Valko
authors.forename: Claudio L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bassetti
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020189:Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*