1er November 2004 – US researchers have discovered that iron deficiency hinders the production of dopamine in the brain and may cause the discomfort associated with restless legs syndrome.
When brain cells lack iron, they disrupt the messages the central nervous system sends to the legs. This condition causes a disorder of motor movements, according to the results of a study1 conducted on animal and human tissues.
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) gets its name from the overwhelming urge to move the legs to relieve the unpleasant sensations that appear during periods of inactivity or when falling asleep. As the tingling, tingling, and pain can only be relieved with movement, these symptoms often lead to insomnia.
In previous studies, the authors had shown that the brain cells of RLS patients were deficient in iron. This time, they retrace the sequence of events that would explain the effect of iron deficiency. By performing analyzes on rat and human brains, the researchers realized that a lack of iron unbalanced the production of an enzyme which, in turn, deregulated the production of dopamine.
The next step, argues Dr James Connor, principal investigator of this study, is to develop treatment strategies which will take into account their results, which highlight, according to him, why some patients would have experienced relief by using drugs having a regulating effect on dopamine . People with Parkinson’s disease already use them to calm the movements and tremors they suffer from.
Restless leg syndrome is more common and more severe in people over 50, although men and women in other age groups are not spared. The syndrome, which is thought to affect 5% to 10% of the population, is not limited to the legs only, it can sometimes spread to the ankles and arms.
Marie france Coutu – PasseportSanté.net
According to Yahoo News
1. Wang X., Allen R., Connor J. et al. Phosphorylated tyrosine hydroxylase expression is increased in restless legs syndrome-further evidence of an iron dopamine connection, Society for Neuroscience© 2004.