Movement Disorders

Myoclonus is defined as sudden lightening jerks. Little is understood about this disorder. The most common cause is post-hypoxic myoclonus as the neurological result of cardiac arrest. Myoclonus could be caused by a variety of disorders. Therapeutic treatment is often inadequate. Recently an animal model has been developed to study this disorder.

"Tardive" means late, and "dyskinesia" simply means abnormal movement. Tardive dyskinesia is a general term referring to involuntary movements that are induced by medications, usually major tranquilizers, such as haloperidol (Haldol). These movements typically involve the face and mouth, although they may occur in any body part.

Huntington's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain which is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. This means that only 1 parent needs to have the abnormal gene to pass the disease on and that about 50% of the children will be affected. Symptoms usually start in the 3rd or 4th decade of life but can begin in childhood or as late as retirement age.

This refers to quick, unpredictable, involuntary movements that seem to jump from one part of the body to another. There are numerous potential causes of chorea. It may occur secondary to a bacterial (streptococcus) infection, rarely in pregnancy, metabolic or hormonal disorders, and Huntington's disease, a rare, inherited neurological disorder.

Motor tics are repetitive, usually quick movements that can usually be suppressed by the person who has them, at least for a few seconds. They are not a nervous habit, but are believed to be neurological in their origin. Tourette syndrome is the name applied when motor tics associated with vocal tics (such as throat clearing, or uttering words or fragments of words) begin in childhood, last longer than a year, and change over time. Most people who have Tourette syndrome do not have the famous symptom of uttering obscenities.

As the name indicates, people who have this experience a very unpleasant sensation in their legs when they lie down, or even simply put their feet up. This may run in families, and it affects children and adults. It may affect up to 12,000,000 people in the United States. It is characterized primarily by sensory symptoms and a movement disorder. The uncomfortable crawling, cramping or drawing sensations are often alleviated by standing and walking around.

This disorder is a neurological disease resulting in spasm of the vocal cord. It is also called laryngeal dystonia. The patient's voice is marked by spasm. Speaking over the phone is especially difficult. The patient can scream, whisper and laugh aloud. The treatment of choice is injection of botulinum toxin into the vocal cord.

Although quite common, and more prevalent with aging, tremor is not a normal consequence of growing older. There are numerous causes of tremor, and this symptom alone may not represent a neurological disease or a serious problem. Treatment, if necessary, is dependent upon the cause of the tremor.

Described first 180 years ago in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson, a London physician, it has the attention of researchers around the world, but the cause of this neurological disease remains elusive. Parkinson's disease may produce a great variety of symptoms, but the four basic, so called 'cardinal signs' include tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness of movement, and impairment of balance. There is no test for Parkinson's disease; the diagnosis is established by listening to the symptoms and physical examination by an experienced clinician. As of yet there is no cure, but there are numerous therapies that help the symptoms.

There are other neurological disorders that bear some resemblance to Parkinson's disease in the symptoms they produce, but on closer examination are distinct from Parkinson's disease on a clinical basis, as well as in the brain changes found. Examples include Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (known as PSP, also referred to as Olszewski-Steele-Richardson syndrome), Multiple System Atrophy, and Cortical Basalganglionic Degeneration. Treatment of these syndromes is with some of the same medications used for Parkinson's disease, although the response is often less satisfactory.

This term is used to describe involuntary muscle contractions that produce abnormal postures or movements. In adults, dystonia most commonly affects the head and neck area, causing head turning or shaking (sometimes referred to as torticollis), or involuntary closing of the eyes (blepharospasm). Torticollis is the most common adult form of the disease. The National Spasmodic Torticollis Association, a non-profit organization, serves as clearing house for information about scientific breakthrough and support group for patients with torticollis www.torticollis.org.