  A fraction of very low mass stars and brown dwarfs are known to be radio
active, in some cases producing periodic pulses. Extensive studies of two such
objects have also revealed optical periodic variability and the nature of this
variability remains unclear. Here we report on multi-epoch optical photometric
monitoring of six radio detected dwarfs, spanning the $\sim$M8 - L3.5 spectral
range, conducted to investigate the ubiquity of periodic optical variability in
radio detected ultracool dwarfs. This survey is the most sensitive ground-based
study carried out to date in search of periodic optical variability from
late-type dwarfs, where we obtained 250 hours of monitoring, delivering
photometric precision as low as $\sim$0.15%. Five of the six targets exhibit
clear periodicity, in all cases likely associated with the rotation period of
the dwarf, with a marginal detection found for the sixth. Our data points to a
likely association between radio and optical periodic variability in
late-M/early-L dwarfs, although the underlying physical cause of this
correlation remains unclear. In one case, we have multiple epochs of monitoring
of the archetype of pulsing radio dwarfs, the M9 TVLM 513-46546, spanning a
period of 5 years, which is sufficiently stable in phase to allow us to
establish a period of 1.95958 $\pm$ 0.00005 hours. This phase stability may be
associated with a large-scale stable magnetic field, further strengthening the
correlation between radio activity and periodic optical variability. Finally,
we find a tentative spin-orbit alignment of one component of the very low mass
binary LP 349-25.
