PORTLAND, Ore. - Researchers at two Oregon hospitals are studying a common but rarely diagnosed ailment that causes millions of Americans to have a creepy-crawly feeling deep in their leg muscle or involuntarily kick their legs.

The neurological condition, called restless leg, is a nuisance, not life-threatening. But restless leg sufferers are driven to sometimes extreme lengths to move their legs, about the only thing that brings immediate relief.

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Bend Memorial Clinic are participating in national studies to see how effective certain medicines are in treating the condition.

PBA affects a diverse population of patients with neurologic disorders, including those with Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS, Parkinson's, and those with neuronal damage following stroke or traumatic brain injury. While the underlying causes of PBA vary from patient to patient, those with the condition experience uncontrolled emotional outbursts and inappropriate responses to various situations. In the simplest terms, PBA can cause a stroke survivor to laugh at a funeral or cry at the circus."

Genzyme Corporation announced today that physicians have treated the first participants in a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of Genz-29155, a small molecule developed by Genzyme for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

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