Motor System & Movement Disorders Flashcards
Hyperkinesias
Tremor
Chorea
Tics
Essential Tremor - Clinical Characteristics
Tremor with posture and action, usually symmetrical, affecting the upper extremities (hands) and head more than the lower extremities
Usually presents with insiduous onset, worsening with age; affects up to 14% of people over 65
Chorea - Clinical characteristics
Irregular, brief, dancing-like, jerky movements that travel from one body part to another
Essential Tremor - Treatment
Beta-blockers (Propanolol) Primidone Topramate Gabapentin Clonazepam
Botulinum Toxin
Assistive devices
Motor signs of Parkinson’s Disease
Resting tremor, unilateral Bradykinesia Rigidity Postural instability / gait problems Dysarthria Dysphagia
Tic - Definition
Brief, intermittent movements or sounds that are sudden, abrupt, and transient; vary in intensity but are repetitive and recur at regular intervals
Tourette Syndrome - Diagnostic Criteria & Clinical Characteristics
Sensorimotor disorder - abnormal motions combined with abnormal urges to move
Tics may be motor or vocal
Age of onset < 16 years; more common in males
Symptoms last > 1 year; 25% persist into adulthood
Associated with ADHD, OCD, poor impulse control
Differential Diagnosis of Parkinsonism Hypokinesia
Parkinson's Disease Lewy Body Dementia Frontotemporal Dementia w/ Parkinsonism Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Multiple Systems Atrophy
Treatment of Tourette Syndrome
Education and support groups
Treatment of co-morbid OCD, ADHD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Treatment of tics only if interfering with life
Medical treatment of tics
Clonidine
SSRIs
Neuroleptics
Chorea-athetosis
Repetitive involuntary, slow, sinuous, writing movements
Dystonia - Definition
Co-contraction of muscle agonists and antagonists resulting in sustained muscle contractions causing twisting, abnormal postures
Etiology of Dystonia
Primary: DYT (1-12); protein Torsin is mutated in DYT-1
Secondary:
Cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative diseases, ischemic brain injury (stroke), traumatic brain injury, toxins
What is the most common classification of dystonia in adults?
Cervical dystonia
Classification of dystonia
Focal
Segmental
Multifocal
Generalized
Examples of focal dystonias
Blepharospasm Hemifacial spasm Oromandibular dystonia Laryngeal dystonia Cervical dystonia
Task-specific dystonia
Writer’s cramp
Musician’s dystonia
Golfer’s dystonia
Atypical features of Parkinsonism
Rapid progression of the disease Early onset of dementia, autonomic instability Confusion or hallucinations Eye movement abnormalities (downgaze) Poor response to dopaminergic treatment
*Red flags for non-PD causes of parkinsonism; generally have worse prognosis than PD
Motor neuron pool
The population of alpha motor neurons that innervates the muscle fibers within a single muscle
What is the size principle of motor unit recruitment?
A given synaptic current induces a relatively larger voltage change in small motor neurons compared to large motor neurons; thus, small motor neurons that generate small forces via small motor units are recruited for voluntary muscular action (i.e. gripping an egg) first
Tonic muscle fibers
Non-spiking muscle fibers; shorten slowly and efficiently generate isometric tension with low fatigability
I.e. extraocular muscles
Slow twitch muscle fibers
Generate action potentials to twitch but fatigue slowly owing to high concentrations of myoglobin and many mitochondria
Fast twitch oxidative muscle fibers
Activate quickly; have many mitochondria and fatigue moderately slowly