new study shows decreased myelinitization in RLS brians

[badnights]

Sleep Med. 2011 Jun;12(6):614-9. Epub 2011 May 12.
Postmortem and imaging based analyses reveal CNS decreased myelination in restless legs syndrome.

CONCLUSION:

A decrease in myelin similar to that reported in animal models of iron deficiency was found in the brains of individuals with RLS. The evidence for less myelin and loss of myelin integrity in RLS brains, coupled with decreased ferritin and transferrin in the myelin fractions, is a compelling argument for brain iron insufficiency in RLS. These data also indicate the need to look beyond the sensorimotor symptoms that typically define the syndrome and its assumed relation to the dopaminergic system. Understanding the full range of RLS pathology may help us better understand the complex, intermittent nature and diversity of the clinical features of RLS and expand our consideration of treatment options for RLS.

[Rubyslipper]

Several disorders affect the myelin in the brain. Peripheral neuropathy, multiple sclerosis and now RLS. Granted, they are in different ways but still it does make you wonder if or how they are connected.

[badnights]

It also lends support to the idea that low vitamin D levels make RLS worse, since vit D is needed for building myelin.

Interesting.

[Chipmunk]

So how do we increase iron in the brain? Do blood levels correlate with brain iron levels?

[ViewsAskew]

That's indeed the problem, Tracy - they don't know how to get the iron to the brain as far as I know. They've tried transfusions, but I don't know how well that works at increasing the iron in the brain.

This is from an older article, but I think it's still true: In the future, Dr. Connor hopes to study how iron supplementation works in people with RLS. He also hopes to find drugs or medical techniques that can specifically target the problem with iron uptake in the brain. This type of therapy should be more effective and less dangerous than injecting high doses of iron into the blood. "I feel this is an area that's ripe for new therapeutic approaches," he says.

[badnights]

I asked my sleep guy why iron supplements and transfusions worked if the darn stuff just hung out in our blood and never got into our brains. He said it worked (after a fashion) because some iron does cross the barrier, so the more there is in the blood, the more will cross.

It's obviously not good enough as a solution, because the level of iron in the blood can be danerously high before enough is crossing the barrier to have an effect on the RLS. Tracy & Ann are right, the real problem is why it's not crossing the barrier, and what can be done about that.

But it's not just iron, not just dopamine; there are so many other systems involved it makes my head spin (pain, histamines, circadian are the obvious ones)