Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2008 Jun;15(1):39-43.

Association Study Between Dopamine Transporter Gene 40 bp VNTR and Antipsychotics-Induced Restless Legs Syndrome

• Kang SG
• Lee HJ
• Choi JE
• Kim L
• Jung IK

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is not obvious, but many promising theories involve dopaminergic deficiency and genetic causes. The RLS is presumed to occur more frequently among schizophrenic patients who take antipsychotics, most of which blocks the dopamine receptors. This study aimed to investigate whether dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) 40 base pair (bp) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism is associated with the antipsychotic-induced RLS in schizophrenia.
METHODS
We determined the diagnosis of RLS among the 190 Korean schizophrenic patients by the diagnostic criteria of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG). Genotyping was performed for the 40bp VNTR in DAT1 gene using polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS
We separated the schizophrenic patients into 44 patients with RLS and 146 patients without RLS. The genotype and allele frequencies did not differ significantly between two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that DAT1 gene 40bp VNTR is not associated with the antipsychotic-induced RLS in schizophrenia. To confirm these results, larger-scale association study is needed in the future.

Keyword

Restless legs syndrome; Antipsychotics; Schizophrenia; Dopamine transporter gene; VNTR Polymorphism

MeSH Terms

Antipsychotic Agents
Base Pairing
Dopamine
Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
Gene Frequency
Genotype
Humans
Receptors, Dopamine
Restless Legs Syndrome
Schizophrenia
Tandem Repeat Sequences
Antipsychotic Agents
Dopamine
Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
Receptors, Dopamine