2026 Meeting
IRLSSG 2026 Annual Meeting
Sunday, June 14, 2026 – Baltimore, MD, United States
Registration is open to all sleep professionals.
Registration is free for IRLSSG members and $250 for non-members.
Location:
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
700 Aliceanna Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Why Attend?
- This international meeting is devoted entirely and exclusively to Restless Legs Syndrome and other sleep-related movement disorders.
- Expand your knowledge with the most recent advances in research, unpublished data and have a first-hand opportunity to discuss the topics with the authors
- Present your ideas, your research results, and receive feedback
- Network with your colleagues. Make new connections while strengthening old ones.
- Become an active participant in the IRLSSG community and help shape the future of RLS research
Don't forget about our annual IRLSSG dinner!
Join us the night before the Annual Meeting for dinner in order to connect with old friends and colleagues as well as build your RLS community.
When: Saturday, June 13th at 7:00pm
Where: McCormick & Schmick’s at 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21202
Dinner is free for IRLSSG Members. For non-members and guests, the cost is $75
2026 Program Committee
Elias Karroum
(United States)
Co-Chair
Ambra Stefani
(Austria)
Co-Chair
Stefan Clemens
(United States)
Mauro Manconi
(Switzerland)
Maria Paola Mogavero
(Italy)
Denise Sharon
(United States)
Rosalia Silvestri
(Italy)
John Winkelman
(United States)
Meeting Program
7:30am – 8:00am
Breakfast
8:00am – 8:05am
Welcome
John W Winkelman (United States)
8:05am – 8:15am
Baltimore Presentation
Charlene E Gamaldo (United States)
8:15am – 8:45am
Richard Allen Keynote: 30-years of RLS: Walking in the footsteps of Richard Allen
John W Winkelman (United States)
8:45am – 9:45am
Hot Topics in RLS – Morning Session
The relationship of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Restless Legs Syndrome
William G Ondo (United States) | 8:45am – 9:15am
Phenotypes in RLS
9:15am – 9:45am
Targeting sensory and motor symptoms in RLS: What does the literature tell us?
Raffaele Ferri (Italy) | 9:15am – 9:30am
Heterogeneity in RLS: Insights from clinical, laboratory, and PSG-based phenotyping
Ki-Young Jung (Korea) | 9:30am – 9:45am
9:45am – 10:15am
Coffee Break
10:15am – 11:15am
Basic Science Symposium: Insights into Opioids in RLS Pathophysiology
Repurposing opioids: A new morphine-pramipexole strategy for pain (and RLS?)
Stefan Clemens (United States) | 10:15am – 10:45am
Role of mu-opioid receptor heteromers in the pathogenesis and treatment of RLS
Sergi Ferre (United States), Garrentt Enten (United States) | 10:45am – 11:15am
11:15am – 12:15pm
Wayne Hening New Investigator Award (WHNIA) Presentations
Patient-reported treatment patterns in Restless Legs Syndrome: Continued reliance on dopamine agonists
Sasikanth Gorantla (United States) | 11:15am – 11:30am
Ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies of Restless Legs Syndrome
Fulya Akcimen (United States) | 11:30am – 11:45am
Phenotypes and course of Restless Legs Syndrome in acute stroke survivors: A prospective observational cohort study
Aditii Makwana (United States) | 11:45am – 12:00pm
Dopaminergic hypersensitivity of the opioid-responsive striatal-entopeduncular pathway in a rodent model of Restless Legs Syndrome
Marta Valle Leon (Spain) | 12:00pm – 12:15pm
12:15pm – 1:15pm
Lunch
1:15pm – 2:45pm
Individual Presentations
Impact of high intensity acute exercise on idiopathic RLS symptoms: Preliminary results from the PEARL Study
Katie Cederberg (United States) | 1:15pm – 1:30pm
Heteromerization-mediated control of dopamine D1 receptor function by mu-opioid receptors. Implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome
William N Sanchez (United States) | 1:30pm – 1:45pm
Genome-wide association study of Restless Legs Syndrome in Chinese identifies novel loci and enhances cross-population risk prediction
Yanyan Hou (China) | 1:45pm – 2:00pm
Epigenetic dysregulation of microRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in RLS: Pathophysiological, clinical, and therapeutic implications
Maria Paola Mogavero (Italy) | 2:00pm – 2:15pm
Genetic insights into RLS: Shared variants and co-morbidities
Arthur Walters (United States) | 2:15pm – 2:30pm
Antidepressant medication use and periodic limb movements of sleep: Effect modification by genetic risk
Rochelle Zak (United States) | 2:30pm – 2:45pm
2:45pm – 4:15pm
Clinical Science Symposium: Neurostimulation in RLS
Remembering PD Dr. med. Cornelius G. Bachmann
2:45pm – 3:00pm
Invasive neurostimulation
Mauro Manconi (Switzerland) | 3:00pm – 3:15pm
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in RLS: Current evidence and future perspectives
Giuseppe Lanza (Italy) | 3:15pm – 3:30pm
Peroneal nerve stimulation
3:30pm – 4:15pm
Peroneal nerve stimulation for treating RLS: Including discussion of the long-term THRIVE Study
Mark J Buchfuhrer (United States) | 3:30pm – 3:45pm
Towards extended-release TOMAC: Response to 3-hours of high-frequency peroneal nerve stimulation during sleep
Andrew Spector (United States) | 3:45pm – 4:00pm
Efficacy and temporal trajectory of tonic motor activation in painful and painless Restless Legs: Interim 270-day results from the THRIVE Study
Elias Karroum (United States) | 4:00pm – 4:15pm
4:15pm – 4:45pm
Coffee Break
4:45pm – 5:45pm
Hot Topics in RLS – Afternoon Session
Gabapentinoids risk in RLS
4:45pm – 5:15pm
Common and uncommon short- and long-term side effects of gabapentinoids
Rosalia Silvestri (Italy) | 4:45pm – 5:00pm
The real risk: Can we manage side effects?
Diego Garcia-Borreguero (Spain) | 5:00pm – 5:15pm
Iron therapy in RLS
5:15pm – 5:45pm
Differences in serum ferritin measurements: Implications for iron therapy in RLS
Michael H Silber (United States) | 5:15pm – 5:30pm
Efficacy and safety of IV iron therapy in RLS patients with normal serum ferritin levels: What is the evidence?
Christopher Earley (United States) | 5:30pm – 5:45pm
5:45pm – 6:15pm
Task Force Updates
6:15pm – 6:45pm
Business Meeting