Hopkins at Home Livestream: Altered Iron Regulation: A Potential Cause of Restless Leg Syndrome

Description

Christopher J. Earley, a professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will give a talk titled "Altered Iron Regulation: A Potential Cause of Restless Leg Syndrome" for Hopkins at Home.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder that is estimated to affect 1 in 10 people in the U.S. Approximately 5 million people suffer from moderate to severe forms of the condition. RLS is associated with abnormal sensations in the legs and results in an irresistible urge to move them, often accompanied by unusual or unpleasant sensations in the legs that may be described as creeping, tugging, or pulling. RLS most often occurs in the evening and can severely disrupt sleep—reducing quality of life.

In the last 25 years, there has been a substantial amount of research undertaken to better understand the potential causes of RLS. From that research, there appears to be three leading factors associated with the development of the disorder: brain concentrations of iron, brain dopamine concentrations, and genes. In Earley's talk, he will focus on brain concentrations of iron as a potential cause of RLS—reviewing basic iron biology and providing elements of the scientific work that have been published on iron and RLS over the past 30 years.

This program, sponsored by the Department of Neurology and Brain Sciences and the Healthcare Affinity, will be presented on Zoom. A link will be shared in advance of the program. Or, watch live on April 27 online.

Disclaimer: The perspectives and opinions expressed by the speaker(s) during this program are those of the speaker(s) and not, necessarily, those of Johns Hopkins University and the scheduling of any speaker at an alumni event or program does not constitute the University's endorsement of the speaker's perspectives and opinions.