Active clinical trials for "Dystonia"

Writer's cramp is a focal dystonia characterized by abnormal movements and postures during writing. Limited finger independence during writing manifests as difficulty suppressing unwanted activations of neighbouring non task-relevant fingers. Patients with Writer's cramp also have difficulty in fine control of grip force. The investigators have recently developed the Finger Force Manipulandum which quantifies the forces applied by each fingers in different tasks. This method is sensitive for detection and quantification of small unwanted contractions in non-active ('stationary') fingers. Different tasks have been developed to assess abilities such as finger individuation but also fine finger force control, finger movement regularity and speed. The aim of this study is to assess if developed tasks allow to precisely characterize writer's cramp condition in terms of abilities aforementioned. To do so, performance of 20 writer's cramp patients in the developed task will be compared with performance of 20 control participants (matched in age, sex and writing hand) in the same tasks.

Background: Dystonia is a movement disorder in which a person s muscles contract on their own. This causes different parts of the body to twist or turn. The cause of this movement is unknown. Researchers think it may have to do with a chemical called acetylcholine. They want to learn more about why acetylcholine in the brain doesn t work properly in people with dystonia. Objective: To better understand how certain parts of the brain take up acetylcholine in people with dystonia. Eligibility: Adults at least 18 years old who have DYT1 dystonia or cervical dystonia. Healthy adult volunteers. Design: Participants will be screened with a medical history, physical exam, and pregnancy test. Study visit 1: Participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. The MRI scanner is a metal cylinder in a strong magnetic field that takes pictures of the brain. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of the cylinder. Study visit 2: Participants will have a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. The PET scanner is shaped like a doughnut. Participants will lie on a bed that slides in and out of the scanner. A small amount of a radioactive chemical that can be detected by the PET scanner will be given through an IV line to measure how the brain takes up acetylcholine. ...

This study is investigating the usefulness of using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activation during deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's Disease, Essential tremor, dystonia, OCD, depression, pain, Tourette's syndrome, and epilepsy. The study may determine the relationship between patterns of brain activation and therapeutic outcome and/or side effects.

Dystonia, a disabling disease with uncontrolled movement disorders was considered to be a manifestation of basal ganglia dysfunction, yet there is accumulating evidence from animal and human experiments that the cerebellum plays a prominent role in the pathophysiology of dystonia. Our recent results suggest a deficient cerebellar sensory encoding in dystonia, resulting in a decoupling of the motor component from the afferent information flow resulting from changes in the environment. An overall loss of gabaergic-mediated inhibition is at the forefront in dynamic changes in neural circuitry described in dystonia. In the mature brain gabaergic control the generation of temporal synchronies and oscillations in the glutamatergic neurons. Taken these all together with the results of a pilot experiment, the investigators hypothesize that deficient synchronies in the fast gamma range are one of the key mechanisms leading to abnormal communication inside the cerebello-cortical network in dystonia. The investigators aim first to demonstrate it by means of MEG (Magneto encepholography) recordings allowing to reconstruct the spatio-temporal dynamics of gamma oscillations in the nodes of the cerebello-cortical network. The investigators then aim to re-establish (if lost) or boost (if decreased) the defective synchronies by applying to the cerebellum at high gamma frequency a non invasive transcranial alternative current stimulation.

Background: - People with dystonia have serious muscle contractions that cause abnormal movements or postures. This significantly affects their daily lives. The common type is called organic. The other type is psychogenic. People with this type have typical symptoms plus some psychological effects. Researchers will look at how rapid transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the brain combined with stimulation of a nerve affects the ability to detect sensations. They will compare the responses of people with different types of dystonia. They will also compare the responses of people with dystonia to responses of people without it. This study may help us learn more about the nature of different types of dystonia. Objectives: - To see whether TMS combined with nerve stimulation affects the brain differently in people with different types of dystonia and those without dystonia. Eligibility: Individuals at least 18 years old, who are right-handed and have dystonia. Healthy volunteers at least 18 years old. Design: Participants will have two clinical visits. Each visit will be a few hours long. They can be done on the same day. Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical exam. Participants will take several sensory tests. For these tests, electrodes will be placed on their skin. The participants will feel small electric shocks during some of the tests. Participants will undergo TMS. For 2 minutes, quick electrical currents will pass through a wire coil placed on their head. As this happens, researchers will ask the participants to move certain muscles.

The purpose of this study is to use an investigational device to record brain activity for 12-24 months following surgical implantation of deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems. The goal of the study is better understanding of brain activity in movement disorders and how they relate to DBS, not to bring new devices to market.

The purpose of this prospective, participant-blinded trial is to determine the changes in sleep architecture in a cohort of subjects who have undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for treatment of movement disorders such as moderate to advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), tremor, or dystonia. Our preliminary observational data suggest that unilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS improves subjective sleep quality in PD patients 6 months after the procedure. The cause of this improvement in sleep quality is unknown, and this study proposes the use of polysomnography (PSG) to test whether the improvement in sleep is independent of improvement in night-time mobility associated with DBS treatment of the motor symptoms of PD, tremor, or dystonia.

A post marketing, international, multicenter, observational, prospective, longitudinal study. The purpose of the study is to describe cervical dystonia sub-types with their injection protocols and response to BoNT-A.

This study will examine the effects of long-term practice of repeated finger movements in people with focal hand dystonia, as compared with healthy volunteers. 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. Right-handed healthy volunteers and patients with focal hand dystonia of the right hand 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and neurological and physical examination. Participants are trained daily for 11 days (excluding weekends) at the NIH and are asked to continue with daily 15 minutes of practice over a 12-week period to perform sequential finger movement task (key presses) with their left hand. They practice initially at NIH and then at home. At each clinic visit, their learning of the motor skill is assessed by recording their performance of 20 consecutive trials of the eight sequences (a total of 160 key presses) in the task. To evaluate long-term motor learning of the sequential movements, participants are asked to do different task tests at Day 2, Week 4 and Week 12. Brain wave activity, and brain excitability are also measured during these days. In one task, they see a random series of letters on a screen during the sequential finger movements and are asked to say the number of times they see a specific letter. In another task, they are asked to focus on each specific movement while performing the sequential finger movements. During each visit, they are questioned and evaluated for the development of any abnormal movements that may be suggestive of early dystonia. All participants have an electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at Day 1, and Day 2 and at Week 4 and Week 12 to evaluate brain activity. For the EEG, electrodes are placed on the subject's scalp and the electrical activity of the brain is recorded while the subject performs the sequence of finger movements. For TMS, a wire coil is held on the subject's scalp. A brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The effect of TMS on the muscles is detected with small electrodes taped to the skin of the subject's arms or legs. ...

The purpose of this study is to provide further information regarding the risks and benefits of Dysport in marketed indications.