Active clinical trials for "Dystonia"

The intraoperative neuroelectrophysiological signals were collected from patients undergoing STN-DBS under general anesthesia in the Neurosurgery Department of Wuhan union Hospital, and their preoperative conditions and postoperative efficacy will be evaluated.

The term perceptual awareness refers to subjective experience... or the phenomenology associated with the processing of a sensory stimulus. The term metacognition refers to our ability of introspection, knowledge and control of our own cognitive processes. The objective of this research is to establish the contribution of the basal ganglia and thalamus to the perceptual awareness and meta-cognition, using deep brain stimulation coupled with electroencephalography.

This study will examine the prevalence of four previously identified non-motor markers in a population of cervical dystonia patients, unaffected family members, and healthy volunteers in an attempt to identify a distinct combination of non-motor symptoms that may be indicative of disease development.

This study addresses postures and range of motion in cervical dystonia (Spasmodic Torticollis). It uses 3D miniature and wireless motion captures sensors, and aims to increase the understanding of the biomechanics of the movement disorders of the cervical column in this pathology. In addition, the clinical state of cervical dystonia of the patients will be assessed, using the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS). The investigators will compare the results between control and study groups.

The purpose of the study is to document long-term response in real-life practice after injection cycles with BoNT-A in subjects suffering from idiopathic cervical dystonia (Long-term clinical and pharmaco-economic data).

The main purpose of this study is to investigate primary cervical dystonia as compared to healthy control subjects and DYT 1 dystonia as compared to healthy control subjects by examining cognitive measures, physical measures, and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The secondary aim of this study is to investigate a specific drug therapy for primary cervical dystonia to develop a functional MRI (fMRI) research paradigm. The drug, trihexyphenidyl, is FDA approved to treat Parkinson's Disease and is commonly prescribed by physicians as a treatment for symptoms of primary cervical dystonia.

Background: - People with writer s cramp develop tightness in arm muscles and abnormal hand posture when writing, which makes writing difficult or impossible. At present, there is no suitable rating scale to measure the symptoms of or disability associated with writer s cramp. Researchers want to videotape people performing simple writing tasks. They will then compare the performance of people with writer s cramp on these tasks to those of people without writer s cramp. This information will help develop a rating scale to evaluate writer s cramp. Objectives: - To develop a new rating scale for writer s cramp. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have writer s cramp. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. Participants will have one outpatient study visit that will last about 3 hours. Participants will perform tasks related to writing, such as writing passages and drawing spirals and loops. They will be videotaped during these tasks. They will repeat some of the writing tasks three more times; on paper attached to a writing tablet, directly on the writing tablet, and on a computer tablet. The angles made by the joints will be measured at rest not while writing healthy volunteers.

The purpose of this study is to gather observational data on an already FDA-approved implantation technique for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in which the entire surgery is performed within an MRI scanner ("interventional MRI", or iMRI). With this surgical technique, the patient is fully asleep (under general anesthesia) during DBS implantation. The standard method for the placement of deep brain stimulators does not use MRI during the actual DBS placement. The standard method involves placement of a rigid frame on the patient's head, performance of a short MRI scan, transport to the operating room, placement of the DBS electrodes in the operating room, and return to the MRI suite for another MR to confirm correct electrode placement. In the standard method, the patient must be awake for 2-4 hours in the operating room to have "brain mapping" performed, where the brain target is confirmed by passing "microelectrodes" (thin wires) into the brain to record its electrical activity. In the standard method, general anesthesia is not required. With the iMRI technique, the surgery is guided entirely by MRI images performed multiple times as the DBS electrode is advanced. This eliminates the need for the patient to be awake, and eliminates the need for passing microelectrodes into the brain before placing the permanent DBS electrode.

Movement disorder involve recurring or constant muscle contractions causing squeezing or twisting movement, such as hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, cervical dystonias etc. The most common focal dystonia was cervical dystonia in western countries according to previous studies, which is different from China in Chinese neurologists' opinion. And there is no such survey. So the investigators are conducting a movement disorder survey in east China to confirm it.

Background: - Childhood-onset dystonia is caused by a brain injury. It causes muscle contractions and twisting movements that the person with dystonia cannot control. The term hemidystonia is used when only one side of the body is affected. When dystonia starts during childhood, the brain and nerves may not develop normally. People with hemidystonia can become disabled because of the unwanted postures and twisting that dystonia causes. More research is needed to determine how dystonia affects brain development. Objectives: - To study brain function in people with hemidystonia. Eligibility: Individuals between 18 and 40 years of age who developed hemidystonia before age 13. Only one wrist may be affected by hemidystonia, and participants must have at least some movement in that wrist. Healthy volunteers at least 18 years of age. Design: This study requires five visits to the NIH Clinical Center: a screening visit and four study visits. Each visit will last up to 3 hours. Visits will be scheduled about once a week. The study procedures may be done in any order. Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. Participants will have the following tests: Brain magnetic resonance imaging scan. During the scan, participants will be asked to move their hand at the wrist when they hear a tone. Motor tests of arm movement, balance, and walking. These tests may also examine nerve development and muscle tone. Two transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions to study the electrical activity of the muscles and brain. These sessions may also involve sensory tests. Participants will have hearing tests before the first session and after the second session. No treatment for hemidystonia will be provided as part of this study.