Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Targeting Alpha Synuclein Aggregates in Cutaneous Peripheral Nerve Fibers by Free-floating Immunofluorescence Assay
Published on: June 25, 2019
A peripheral pathway to restless legs syndrome? Clues from familial amyloid polyneuropathy
Tiago Teodoro1, Pedro Viana2, Daisy Abreu3
1Department of Neurology, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisboa, Portugal; Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal; St Georges University London, London, United Kingdom.
Background:
The relationship between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and peripheral neuropathy remains unclear. In order to clarify this relationship, we investigated if RLS is increased in familial amyloid polyneuropathy related to transthyretin (TTR-FAP) and investigated factors associated with RLS in this population.
Methods:
RLS frequency was compared between TTR-FAP patients and controls. Secondly, TTR-FAP patients with and without RLS were compared regarding demographic and clinical characteristics.
Results:
RLS frequency was significantly increased in TTR-FAP, with 18/98 (18.4%) cases contrasting with 5/104 (4.8%) controls (p-value 0.002). This difference remained significant after adjusting for confounders. In TTR-FAP patients, female sex (p-value 0.037), obesity (p-value 0.036) and weight excess (p-value 0.048) were associated with RLS, contrary to other classical RLS risk factors.
Conclusions:
RLS frequency is increased in TTR-FAP, thus supporting an association between RLS and neuropathy. This may represent a peripheral pathway in RLS pathogenesis. Furthermore, our results suggest that female sex and obesity/weight excess may be risk factors for RLS development among TTR-FAP patients.
Related Concept Videos
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation
Restless Leg Syndrome and Night Terrors
The exact cause of RLS is not fully understood, but it is believed to involve dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate muscle movement. Imbalances in dopamine levels...
Peripheral Artery Disease I: Introduction
Neural Regulation
Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining,...

