Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41906036›Full record

ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2026

Association between lesion location and symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Salman Aljarallah, Saleh Husam Aldeligan, Ahmed Almarshed, Omar A Aldosari, Manal Alosaimi, Alaa M Albishi, Ahmed Bahammam, Nuha M Alkhawajah

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Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Salman AljarallahDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia. saljarallah@ksu.edu.sa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0138-7924
Saleh Husam AldeliganCollege of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2075-2376
Ahmed AlmarshedCollege of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia.
Omar A AldosariCollege of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-6705-5240
Manal AlosaimiDepartment of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box 10219, Riyadh, 11433, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8734-7012
Alaa M AlbishiDepartment of Rehabilitation Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9107-028X
Ahmed BahammamDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, University Sleep Disorders Centre, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1706-6167
Nuha M AlkhawajahDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1992-0654

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

PURPOSE.: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common but under-recognised non-motor symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially linked to central nervous system lesion distribution. This study aimed to assess the anatomical distribution of MRI-detected lesions in MS patients with and without RLS. METHODS.: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City between April 2023 and March 2024. MRI lesion patterns, fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale, FSS), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and vitamin D3 levels were compared between MS patients with and without RLS. RESULTS.: Of 96 MS patients (62.5% female; mean age 32.9 ± 9.6 years), 28.1% had RLS, of whom 74.1% were classified as severe. RLS patients were significantly older and exhibited higher fatigue scores (p < 0.05). Lesions in the spinal cord, frontal, temporal, cerebellar, and insular regions were more prevalent in the RLS group; however, no statistically significant association was identified between lesion location and RLS. Sub-insular lesions were significantly associated with male sex and greater fatigue severity. CONCLUSION.: This study did not identify a statistically meaningful association between brain or spinal cord lesion distribution and the development of RLS in patients with MS. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common but under-recognised non-motor symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), potentially linked to central nervous system lesion distribution. We aim to assess the anatomical distribution of MRI-detected MS lesions in patients with and without RLS. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City between April 2023 and March 2024. MRI lesion patterns, fatigue (FSS), sleep quality (PSQI), and vitamin D3 levels were compared between MS patients with and without RLS. Of 96 MS patients (62.5% females, mean age 32.9 ± 9.6 years), 28.1% had RLS, with 74.1% classified as severe. RLS patients were older and exhibited higher fatigue (p < 0.05). Lesions in the spinal cord, frontal, temporal, cerebellar, and insular cerebral regions were more prevalent in RLS patients, though no statistically significant association was found between lesion location and RLS. Sub-insular lesions were significantly associated with male gender and fatigue severity. This study did not identify a statistically meaningful association between brain or spinal cord lesion involvement and the development of restless legs syndrome in patients with MS.

Indexed as

BrainMultiple SclerosisRestless Legs SyndromeSpinal CordAdultFatigueFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexCerebellumFatigueInsular cortexLesion distributionMRIMultiple sclerosisRestless legs syndromeSleep disturbances

Identifiers

PMID41906036

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.