Abnormality of motor cortex excitability in peripherally induced dystonia

Bohlhalter, Stephan; Leon-Sarmiento, Fidias E; Hallett, Mark (2007). Abnormality of motor cortex excitability in peripherally induced dystonia. Movement disorders, 22(8), pp. 1186-9. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Blackwell 10.1002/mds.21424

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It is widely accepted that peripheral trauma such as soft tissue injuries can trigger dystonia, although little is known about the underlying mechanism. Because peripheral injury only rarely appears to elicit dystonia, a predisposing vulnerability in cortical motor areas might play a role. Using single and paired-pulse pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, we evaluated motor cortex excitability of a hand muscle in a patient with peripherally induced foot dystonia, in her brother with craniocervical dystonia, and in her unaffected sister, and compared their results to those from a group of normal subjects. In the patient with peripherally induced dystonia, we found a paradoxical intracortical facilitation at short interstimulus intervals of 3 and 5 milliseconds, at which regular intracortical inhibition (ICI) occurred in healthy subjects. These findings suggest that the foot dystonia may have been precipitated as the result of a preexisting abnormality of motor cortex excitability. Furthermore, the abnormality of ICI in her brother and sister indicates that altered motor excitability may be a hereditary predisposition. The study demonstrates that the paired-pulse technique is a useful tool to assess individual vulnerability, which can be particularly relevant when the causal association between trauma and dystonia is less evident.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Further Contribution)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Neurology
UniBE Contributor:	Bohlhalter, Stephan
ISSN:	0885-3185
ISBN:	17415790
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 14:55
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:17
Publisher DOI:	10.1002/mds.21424
PubMed ID:	17415790
Web of Science ID:	000247628400022
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/23301 (FactScience: 41095)