Scientific publications

Unilateral periodic limb movements during sleep in corticobasal degeneration

Nov 1, 2001 | Magazine: Movement Disorders

Iriarte J, Alegre M, Arbizu J, de Castro P.


Periodic limb movements in sleep (PLM) have been associated with several degenerative disorders and other focal or diffuse diseases.

We present a patient with clinical diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration and sleep complaints, in whom video recording and polygraphic study confirmed the presence of right PLM.

The unilaterality of the movements and the positron emission tomography findings (hypometabolism in the left frontoparietal, basal ganglia, and thalamic areas) suggest that the loss of inhibitory descending central pathways, with origin in the cortex or basal ganglia, may be involved in the pathogenesis of PLM.

CITATION  Mov Disord. 2001 Nov;16(6):1180-3.  doi: 10.1002/mds.1227.