title: Leg movements and periodic leg movements during sleep in the development across childhood and adolescence from 1 to 18 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Age specific reference values of leg movements (LMS) and periodic leg movements (PLMS) in sleep considering their true periodicity to evaluate sleep pathologies, especially possible childhood RLS or PLMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective first night study of 52 healthy children/adolescents divided into six age groups from 1 to 18 years, polysomnographies were conducted and scored considering AASM rules. The frequency of LMS and PLMS were evaluated for NREM, REM, total sleep time (TST), including attention to time structure (inter-leg movement intervals, time distribution during the night) and periodicity of LMS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LMS and PLMS decreased with increasing age (P < 0.05). Children and adolescents older than 10 years had a PLMS index less than 5/h TST, in younger children the PLMS index was higher; 34.7% of total LMS and PLMS were accompanied by an EEG-arousal without age dependence. Periodicity index was low (median 0.2 decreasing with age to 0.1). Inter-leg movement intervals showed a decreasing incidence of shorter intervals with age. The course of LMS during the night displayed a lack of clear structure of distribution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To evaluate pediatric motoric sleep disturbances it is necessary to consider the age dependence of LMS/PLMS and their true periodicity.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Sleep Medicine, Robert-Koch-Hospital Apolda GmbH, Apolda, Germany. Electronic address: sl@rkk-apolda.de.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scholle
authors.affiliation: Division Motor Research, Pathophysiology and Biomechanics, Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans Christoph
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Scholle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020189:Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017286:Polysomnography
keywords: Adolescence; Childhood; Development; Inter-leg movement interval; Periodic leg movements; Sleep