Arthur Scott Walters

Arthur Scott Walters is an American neurologist, a professor of neurology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Research Walters' research interests have focused on the nexus where sleep disorders and movement disorders meet. He is co-editor of the first book on sleep-related movement disorders in 2003 and is an author on over 200 research publications. whose core features serve as those of its current definition as well. Under his leadership, the group also developed and validated an RLS severity rating scale which has served as the major outcome measure for the severity of RLS in most academic and pharmaceutical company studies of RLS. His other individual contributions with coauthors include writing the first full case reports of Pediatric RLS and exploring the relationship between RLS and ADHD as well as between RLS and Growing Pains. In addition, he has explored the relationship between RLS/PLMS and hypertension, heart disease and stroke the role of the endogenous opiate system in the pathogenesis of RLS and the role of inflammation and autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of RLS. He and co-investigators also performed some of the first circadian rhythm studies in RLS showing that the worsening at night and worsening at rest criteria for RLS were separate but interdependent phenomena.

Professional activities Walters was the first chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, a nationwide patient support group for patients with restless legs syndrome and their families and he continues to play a role on the board.

Awards and honors In 1998, Walters was the first recipient of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation's Ekbom Award. In 2005, he was named "Researcher of the Year in Medicine" at Seton Hall University. In 2010, he was given the American Academy of Neurology Sleep Science Award for excellence in sleep research.

Edited volumes - books Walters AS, ed Sleep Thief: The Restless Legs Syndrome. Orange Park, Fla. Galaxy Books, Inc., pp. 1–316, 1996

Walters AS, Editor for the Movement Disorders Section. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Westchester, Ill, pp. 1–57, 2007. Walters A. Editor for the Movement Disorders Section and the Miscellaneous Section (Appendix B). The International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Diagnostic and Coding Manual. Third Edition. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Westchester, Ill., 2014.

Selected publications