Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Restless Legs Syndrome: Probing the Neurophysiological Basis towards a Novel Therapeutic Tool?

Studies using Trancranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive neurophysiological technique assessing the excitability of motor cortical areas and their projections, have revealed cortical and cortical-spinal dysfunction in several sleep disorders. In particular, cortical hyper excitability has been observed in several studies in Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and seems to reflect a disease-specific profile rather than a general consequence of sleep architecture alteration