Parental age and birth order were studied in 251 patients with cerebral palsy. No parental age or birth order effects were observed in spastic quadriplegia or diplegia, but a paternal age effect was detected in those with athetoid/dystonic cerebral palsy and congenital hemiplegia. These observations indicate that some cases of athetoid/dystonic or hemiplegic cerebral palsy might arise by fresh ...

A 30-year-old man with mild learning disability (IQ:72) and cerebral palsy with mild generalized choreoathetosis was referred with paroxysmal motor disorder and episodic depressive mood disorder. Aged 11 months, he had developed episodes of alternating flaccid hemiparesis followed by episodes when he was unable to move or talk but remaining conscious lasting from several minutes to longer. Epis...

BACKGROUND Cervical dystonia, also known as spasmodic torticollis, is a chronic disorder in which patients exhibit involuntary repetitive contractions of neck muscles resulting in abnormal postures or movements. Occasionally, there is also a dystonic head tremor. The underlying mechanisms for cervical dystonia and dystonic tremor are not clear, and treatments are limited. CASE REPORT In the p...

Ablation of the BPAG1 gene results in the dystonia musculorum mouse, exhibiting rapid spinal nerve degeneration, dystonic movements, and severe ataxia. By defining the developmental and tissue-specific expression of the neuronal form of BPAG1 (BPAG1-n) and by comparing the corresponding pathology in BPAG1 null mice, we seek here to understand how absence of BPAG1 results in this devastating phe...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The dystonias are a common but complex group of disorders that show considerable variation in cause and clinical presentation. The purpose of this review is to highlight the most important discoveries and insights from across the field over the period of the past 18 months. RECENT FINDINGS Five new genes for primary dystonia (PRRT2, CIZ1, ANO3, TUBB4A and GNAL) have made the...

BACKGROUND In oromandibular dystonia (OMD) abnormal repetitive contractions of masticatory, facial, and lingual muscles as well as the presence of orobuccolingual (OBL) dyskinesias may interfere with the appropriate performance of tasks such as chewing and swallowing leading to significant dysphagia and weight loss. We present here the clinical characteristics and treatment variables of a serie...

INTRODUCTION The term "camptocormia" describes a forward-flexed posture. It is a condition characterized by severe frontal flexion of the trunk. Recently, camptocormia has been regarded as a form of abdominal segmental dystonia. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising therapeutic approach to various types of movement disorders. The authors report the neurological effects of DBS to the bilat...