Evaluating Sensory Perception in Cervical Dystonia

None listed

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterised by involuntary twisting movements and abnormal postures of the body. Cervical dystonia is the most common focal dystonia of younger adults, producing abnormal neck postures, twisting, shaking and turning movements of the neck, and pain in the neck and shoulders. How dystonia develops is not known. Treatment for cervical dystonia is predominantly with Botulinum toxin. There is compelling evidence for its benefit in reducing symptoms of head posturing and pain, however it requires repeated injections and does not always provide satisfactory outcomes. Botulinum toxin is known to interrupt neuro-muscular interaction, producing focal muscle weakness, however evidence for its use in migraine headache has implicated a direct effect on pain perception. Whether improvement in dystonia with botulinum toxin is related only to motor effects or has a longer term benefit on modulating the dystonia itself is not known. The experience of pain can alter sensory and motor processing related to direct interference with neuroplastic processes or compromised motor performance. Sensory testing has shown decreased sensory function in the affected compared with unaffected hand in people with hand dystonia. This type of sensory testing has not been performed in people with cervical dystonia. It is likely all dystonia arises from abnormal sensorimotor integration processes, though this process is currently incompletely understood. This project aims to measure peripheral sensory perception objectively in patients with cervical dystonia to determine if their sensation is abnormal, if this is a generalised or focal situation, and to determine if this sensation is altered by the administration of botulinum toxin which is effective in reducing the severity of the movements.

No related papers found yet.