Motor dysfunction disorders Flashcards
what is ataxia
abnormalities in movements
- widening base of support, impaired coordiation of joints, abnormal coupling of limbs during stepping
what causes ataxia symptoms
improper timing of muscle activation
- usually a result of a damage to or atrophy of the cerebellum
- can also result from damage to the parietal cortex (misdirected reach or improper orientation of the hand) because there is missing info from dorsal visual stream
what do people with cerebellar ataxia look like
drunken gait
- trouble with simple motor tasks, reaction time, movement trajectory, etc
what is dystonia
slower, twisting mvmts and sustained abnormal postures
what is dystonia a result of
antagonist and agonist co contraction
(can often be focal - occurs at a specific joint)
what is focal hand dystonia
awkward postures are sometimes triggered by putting the hands into a highly familiar conformation
what does botulinum neurotoxin (botox) do
neurotoxin that blocks synaptic vesicles from releasing ACh at the NM junction
cleaves SNARE proteins and blocks the fusion of synaptic vesicles onto the pre synaptic membrane
can’t have contraction of certain muscles
what causes dystonia
may be heriditary or caused by other factors such as birth related trauma, infection, poisoning, or reaction to pharmaceutical drugs
what is the treatment for dystonia
may include oral medications, botox, PT, or surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation
(nothing fixes it, only treatments to improve quality of life)
what is an essential tremor
most common motor disorder
- involuntary shaking mvmts that can affect your arms, eyelids, or other muscles
- during active mvmts such as eating and writing
are essential tremors and parkinsons the same
no
- essential tremors = during active contractions
- parkinsons = resting tremors - occurs in a resting state
what can cause essential tremors
different drugs, age related deterioration, damage to cerebellum, and exposure to neurotoxins (lead / harmane)
what are the lines of treatment for essential tremors
medication
- first line = beta blockers
- second line = antiepileptics
- third line = antipsychotics
can also use deep brain stimulation
what are the targets of deep brain stimulation
subthalamic nucleus
globus pallidus internal
ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (less)
what is deep brain stimulation
electrode into the brain
can either turn off or on the stimulation to make up for the lack of dopamine being produced
- on = smoother motor mvmts