It is estimated that up to 7-10% of the U.S. population may have Restless Leg Syndrome.
Dr. Brian Koo and his team at Yale University are conducting research to determine whether levels of specific hormones are increased in the blood and spinal fluid of persons with RLS. The research requires that participants undergo blood draws and a spinal tap.
Dr. Koo joins Dr. Roizen to talk about this research and share some tips for relief.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA, 1995) and Tufts University School of Medicine (MD, 2001), Dr. Brian Koo joined the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine faculty in 2008 and was subsequently recruited to Yale University in 2013. Dr. Koo’s primary clinical and research interests lie at the intersection between neurology and sleep medicine, in both of which he is board certified. Dr. Koo is particularly interested in the restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS), two very common sensorimotor problems that occur directly before or during sleep. His work concerning RLS and PLMS has occurred on different levels, including at the animal modeling, epidemiologic, human genetic, and neuropeptidal levels. Dr. Koo is an international expert in the restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements during sleep and sees patients with RLS from across the tri-state area. Currently, Dr. Koo's work focuses on assessing the role of the pro-opiomelanocortin-derived neuropeptides in RLS, the association between hypothyroidism and RLS, and suicidal behavior in RLS. Other areas of research interest for Dr. Koo include the association between obstructive sleep apnea and wake-up stroke and the psychological phenomenon of demoralization in Parkinson Disease. Dr. Koo is director of the sleep laboratory at the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the director of the Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome, an RLS Foundation sponsored Quality Care Center. Dr. Koo sees patients with sleep disorders at both Yale and the West Haven VA and is dedicated to the care of patients with both neurologic and sleep disorders.
Brian B. Koo, MD, is an award-winning physician who combines his training in neurology and sleep medicine to treat patients with a wide variety of sleep disorders.
An internationally recognized expert in his field, Dr. Koo is the director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, as well as director of the Yale Medicine Program for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). He works with patients who suffer from sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, RLS, sleep apnea and sleep issues caused by neurological conditions. “Sleep disorders are very treatable and we are almost always able to provide simple, effective treatments that can significantly and positively impact quality of life,” he says.
An assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Koo is also an active researcher and author specializing in RLS, and one of the world’s foremost experts on the epidemiologic research that links periodic limb movements during sleep and cardiovascular disease.