Restless legs syndrome tied to 140 'hotspots' in the genome

Slightly blurred photo shows a person in blue pajamas holding a white comforter and moving their legs around, as if restless.

Researchers have uncovered more than 140 sections of the human genome tied to restless legs syndrome (RLS), a neurological condition that affects up to 10% of the U.S. population. 

These stretches of DNA in the genome are known as genetic risk loci, and prior to the new study, only 22 were known to be tied to RLS. The new research, published Wednesday (June 5) in the journal Nature Genetics, increases that number to 164.