Executive and visuospatial dysfunction in patients with primary restless legs syndrome/willis-ekbom disease: Study of a Chinese population

Abstract

Study Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the cognitive function of patients with primary restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) in a Chinese population. Methods: A total of 40 patients with RLS/WED who were drug naïve and 40 controls, matched by age, sex, and educational level, were evaluated by cognitive function assessments, including the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-C), clock drawing test (CDT), Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT). Results: Patients with RLS/WED showed worse performance on the SCWT (Stroop Card C time: 102.36 ± 17.12 versus 87.08 ± 7.73 seconds, P = .033; Interference Index: 3.39 ± 0.38 versus 2.90 ± 0.15, P