Active clinical trials for "Dystonia"

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective surgical therapy for select Dystonia patients who are refractory to medications or who have generalized symptoms (e.g. patients with Early-Onset Primary Dystonia(DYT1) mutations and other dystonia subtypes). DBS patients typically experience significant improvement in disabling symptoms; however, detailed programming is always required, and stimulation-induced side effects commonly emerge. Clinicians may empirically vary voltage, pulse width, frequency and also the active contacts on the DBS lead to achieve observed optimal benefits. The majority of DBS patients undergo repeat surgeries to replace the implantable pulse generator (IPG) every 2.5 to 5 years. It has been demonstrated that, in dystonia patients, that higher settings are required for adequate symptomatic control, and that neurostimulators have a considerably shorter life when compared to neurostimulators from patients with essential tremor or Parkinson's disease. Additionally, several smaller studies have suggested that alternative pulse stimulation properties and pulse shape modifications can lower IPG battery consumption. Newer patterns of stimulation (regularity of pulses and shapes of pulses) have not been widely tested in clinical practice, and are not part of the current FDA device labeling. Novel patterns of stimulation do however, have the potential to improve symptoms, reduce side effects, and to preserve the neurostimulator life. The current research proposal will prospectively study biphasic pulse stimulation paradigms and its effects on dystonic symptoms. The investigators aim to demonstrate that we can tailor DBS settings to address dystonia symptoms, improve the safety profile, characterize distinct clinical advantages, and carefully document the safety and neurostimulator battery consumption profile for biphasic stimulation.

Investigation of the clinical condition and safety in patients with cervical dystonia

Background: - People with dystonia have muscle contractions they can t control. These cause slow, repeated motions or abnormal postures. People with dystonia have abnormalities in certain parts of the brain. Researchers want to study the activity of two different brain areas in people with writer s cramp and cervical dystonia. Objective: - To compare brain activity in people with dystonia to that in healthy people. Eligibility: Right-handed people ages of 18-65 with cervical dystonia or writer s cramp. Healthy volunteers the same ages. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam. They will answer questions about being right- or left-handed. At study visit 1, participants will:<TAB> Have a neurological exam. Answer questions about how their disease impacts their daily activities. Have a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Participants will lie on a table that can slide <TAB>in and out of a metal cylinder. This is surrounded by a strong magnetic field. Do 2 simple computer tasks. At study visit 2: Participants will have transcranial magnetic stimulations (TMS) at 2 places on the head. Two wire coils will be held on the scalp. A brief electrical current creates a magnetic pulse that affects brain activity. Muscles of the face, arm, or leg might twitch. Participants may have to tense certain muscles or do simple tasks during TMS. They may be asked to rate any discomfort caused by TMS. Muscle activity in the right hand will be recorded by electrodes stuck to the skin of that hand.

Dystonia is a chronic neurological condition that impacts the quality of life due to decreased mobility, social repercussions caused by others's perception of abnormal involuntary movement and frequent pain. Botulinum toxin has been shown to be effective in reducing pain in dystonia. However, many patients remain painful despite the injections, especially when the decrease in the effect of the latter, performed every 3 months on average. Despite frequent use of TENS in pain relief, only a few small studies studying TENS in dystonia were published and none of them reported TENS effects on dystonic pain using sensory threshold. This study aimed to quantify the efficacy and tolerance of TENS in the indication of pain related to dystonia, focusing on cervical dystonia which is the most common form of dystonia.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy for patients with medically refractory primary dystonia. However, DBS programming for dystonia is not standardized and multiple clinic visits are frequently required to adequately control symptoms. We aim to longitudinally record brain signals from patients using a novel neurostimulator that can record brain signals. We will correlate brain signals to clinical severity scores to identify pathological rhythms in the absence of DBS, and we will study the effects of DBS on these signals in order to guide clinical programming. We are going to recruit patients who receive the Medtronic Percept device, which allows for brain signal recordings (this feature is FDA approved). The investigators will be conducting an observational study using this device to collect data that the subjects receive as standard of care.

The purpose of this experimental pilot study is to test the effect of normalization of the head position on the sense of balance at patients with cervical dystonia under routine botulinum toxin treatment.

This study will examine the effectiveness of Braille reading as a sensory training program for improving symptoms of focal (localized) dystonia, a movement disorder caused by sustained muscle contractions. Musicians, writers, typists, athletes and others whose work involves frequent repetitive movements may develop focal dystonia of the hand. Dystonia patients have an impaired sense of touch, and it is thought that symptoms may improve with sensory tactile (touch) training. Patients with task-specific dystonia and healthy normal volunteers may be eligible for this 8-week study. Patients will undergo evaluation of their dystonia and a complete neurologic examination. Healthy volunteers will have a complete physical examination. On the first day of the study, after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks, all participants will have a gap detection test for sensory perception testing. The test uses eight plastic devices called JVP-Domes with ridges of different widths on the surface. The subject's arm and hand are held in palm-up position and the right index finger is tested for about 1 second 20 times with each dome. The subject is asked to report whether the direction of the dome is vertical or horizontal. The test takes about 30 minutes. Patients with dystonia will also have a their symptoms evaluated at these visits. The evaluation involves completing a written questionnaire and writing a paragraph. All participants will be trained in Braille reading at NIH. Sessions will be given every day the first week, twice a week the second and third weeks, and once a week the following weeks.

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Dysport® in the treatment of cervical dystonia (CD) in a non-interventional long-term study in naïve and pre-treated patients.

Background: Little is known about the problems in brain function in focal hand dystonia (FHD) or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) dystonia. It is unclear why some CRPS patients develop dystonia but others do not. Researchers want to learn which area of the brain is involved in CRPS dystonia compared with FHD. Objectives: To understand why people with CRPS develop dystonia, and if these reasons are different in people with FHD. Eligibility: Adults ages 18 - 70 with CRPS dystonia OR with CRPS without dystonia OR with FHD and Healthy volunteers of similar age. Design: Participants will be screened with physical exam, neurological exam, and medical history. They may give a urine sample and will answer questions. Participants can have 4 - 5 outpatient visits or stay at the clinical center for approximately 5-6 days. Participants will have MRI scans. They will lie on a table that slides in and out of a scanner that takes pictures of their brain. They will do small tasks or be asked to imagine things during the scanning. Participants will have transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) sessions for a few hours, with breaks. A brief electrical current passing through a well insulated wire coil on the scalp creates a magnetic pulse. This affects brain activity. Participants may do small tasks during TMS. Participants will have the electrical activity of their muscles measured during TMS sessions. Small sticky pads will be attached to their hands and arms. Participants ability to feel 2 separate stimuli as different will be tested by using a weak electrical shock to their fingers. They will also be asked to feel small plastic domes with ridges, that may cause discomfort.

This study will identify changes that occur in the part of the brain that controls hand movements in patients with cervical (neck) dystonia. Patients with dystonia have muscle spasms that cause abnormal postures while trying to perform a movement. In focal dystonia, just one part of the body, such as the hand, neck or face, is involved. The study will compare findings in healthy volunteers and patients with cervical dystonia to learn more about the condition. Healthy volunteers and patients with cervical dystonia 18 years of age and older may be eligible to participate. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination. Participants undergo the following tests: Somatosensory evoked potentials (Visits 1 and 2) This test examines how sensory information travels from the nerves to the spinal cord and brain. An electrode placed on an arm or leg delivers a small electrical stimulus and additional electrodes placed on the scalp, neck and over the collarbone record how the impulse from the stimulus travels over the nerve pathways. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Visits 2, 3 and 4) This procedure maps brain function. A wire coil is held on the scalp. A brief electrical current passes through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The stimulation may cause a twitch in muscles of the face, arm, or leg, and the subject may hear a click and feel a pulling sensation on the skin under the coil. Nerve conduction studies (Visits 2, 3 and 4) This test measures how fast nerves conduct electrical impulses and the strength of the connection between the nerve and the muscle. Nerves are stimulated through small wire electrodes attached to the skin and the response is recorded and analyzed. Surface electromyography (Visits 2, 3 and 4) Electrodes are placed on the front and back of the neck muscles to measure the electrical activity of the muscles.