Abstract Details

Title Is Transcutaneous Spinal Direct Current Stimulation Efficient in Symptomatic Treatment of Patients with Idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome?

Topic Movement Disorders

Presentation(s) P02 - (-)

Poster/Presentation
Number 060

Objective

Background BACKGROUND: Transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) is a new, non-invasive and painless technique for modulation of spinal cord excitability. The current concept of restless legs syndrome (RLS) proposes increased spinal excitability in RLS patients.

Design/Methods DESIGN/METHODS: 20 patients with primary restless legs syndrome and 14 healthy subjects participated in this double-blind randomized study. All participants received one session of cathodal, anodal and sham stimulation of the thoracic spinal cord for 15 min (2,5mA, 0,056mA/cm2). To assess spinal cord excitability, we determined the Hmax/Mmax ratio of the soleus Hoffmann reflex and 7 different H2/H1-ratios of two successive stimulations with 7 different interstimulus intervals in 14 patients and 14 healthy controls. These parameters were measured before stimulation, at current offset and 30 minutes after stimulation. The severity of RLS symptoms was assessed in all subjects at all these time points by a visual analogue scale (VAS).

Results RESULTS: Primary RLS patients showed significantly increased H2/H1-ratios during their highly symptomatic phase in the evening compared to healthy controls. Application of anodal tsDCS led to a distinct, but significantly decreased H2/H1-ratio in primary RLS patients for the interstimulus intervals of 0.2 and 0.3 sec, correlating with a significant moderate alleviation of symptoms on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Application of cathodal tsDCS also led to a significant, but less effective reduction of RLS symptoms on the VAS, whereas H2/H1-ratios were not affected by this intervention. Application of sham tsDCS had neither significant effects on VAS scores nor on H2/H1-ratio in patients.

Conclusions CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that tsDCS is efficient in alleviating RLS symptoms and might become a completely new, non-pharmacological therapeutic tool for primary RLS patients.

Authors/Disclosures
PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Wolfgang Heide, MD, FEAN (AKH Celle)	No disclosure on file
Claudia Trenkwalder, MD (Center For Parkinsonism and Movement Disorders)	Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Paracelsus-Kliniken. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Abbvie. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for UCB. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Roche. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Bial. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Abbvie. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Esteve. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Convatec. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Boehringer. Dr. Trenkwalder has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for UCB. The institution of Dr. Trenkwalder has received research support from DLR /BMBF. Dr. Trenkwalder has received intellectual property interests from a discovery or technology relating to health care.
Walter Paulus, MD	No disclosure on file
Cornelius Bachmann	No disclosure on file

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