The inherited motor neuron disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by deficient expression of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein and results in severe muscle weakness. In SMA mice, synaptic dysfunction of both neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and central sensorimotor synapses precedes motor neuron cell death. To address whether this synaptic dysfunction is due to SMN deficiency in motor ...

The anatomic extent of brain stem damage may provide information about clinical outcome and prognosis in children with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and oral motor dysfunction. The aim of this study was to retrospectively characterize the location and extent of brain stem lesions in children with oral motor dysfunction. From January 2005 to August 2009, 43 infants hospitalized at our institut...

Introduction: Patients with bilateral weakness (BW) have many difficulties in gaze stability that interfere with their normal function. The aim of this study was to evaluate ocular motor functions in patients with BW to better understand the problem of gaze instability in these patients.   Materials and Methods: Patients were referred from the Otolaryngology Department for Vestibular Assessmen...

Although children with only motor disabilities have no intellectual disabilities and should attend a regular school, in the pediatric practice it has been observed that there is a high level of heterogeneity in their education. The objective of our study was to establish the prevalence of school dysfunction in children with only motor disabilities who are seen in a reference hospital, and explo...

Micrographia is a common symptom in Parkinson’s disease, which manifests as either a consistent or progressive reduction in the size of handwriting or both. Neural correlates underlying micrographia remain unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate micrographia-related neural activity and connectivity modulations. In addition, the effect of attention and dopaminergic ...

Micrographia is a common symptom in Parkinson's disease, which manifests as either a consistent or progressive reduction in the size of handwriting or both. Neural correlates underlying micrographia remain unclear. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate micrographia-related neural activity and connectivity modulations. In addition, the effect of attention and dopaminergic ...

Parkinson's disease psychosis is a major problem complicating the drug treatment of the motor symptoms of the disease. It is one of the leading causes for nursing home placement, exceeding that of motor dysfunction, and is also a greater stressor for caregivers than motor dysfunction. While there is no approved treatment for this problem, it is important to first exclude medical contributions, ...

This article reviews the models and theories of motor behavior that are the foundation for the traditional approaches to central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction and presents a new theoretical model and approach that are beginning to influence practice. Reflex, hierarchical, and systems models of motor control and developmental and motor learning theories are discussed. The relationships of the...

Motor neurone disease (MND) is characterized by the progressive degeneration of lower and upper motor neurones in the spinal cord, brainstem and motor cortex of the brain, leading to a variable pattern of motor dysfunction. Typical symptoms include muscle atrophy, limb weakness, bulbar palsy and respiratory failure. Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder associate...