Medical treatment of dystonia

Abstract Therapeutic strategies in dystonia have evolved considerably in the past few decades. Three major treatment modalities include oral medications, botulinum toxin injections and surgical therapies, particularly deep brain stimulation. Although there has been a tremendous interest in the later two modalities, there are relatively few recent reviews of oral treatment. We review the medical treatment of dystonia, focusing on three major neurotransmitter systems: cholinergic, GABAergic and dopaminergic. We also provide a practical guide to medication selection, therapeutic strategy and unmet needs

Myoclonus in Ataxia–Telangiectasia

Background: Various movement disorders can be found in ataxia–telangiectasia (AT), including ataxia, dystonia, chorea, and myoclonus, but myoclonus has rarely been described as the predominant feature in AT. Case Report: We report two AT patients with prominent myoclonus, illustrating an unusual presentation of this disorder. Sequencing of the ATM gene in the first patient revealed a homozygous truncating mutation, c.5908C >T (p.Q1970*) in exon 38 of the ATM gene, which has been previously reported as a founder mutation in the Costa Rican population. Discussion: Myoclonus can be a predominant or presenting feature in AT, even without dystoni

Intermediate Phenotypes of ATP1A3 Mutations: Phenotype–Genotype Correlations

Background: ATP1A3-related disorders include rapid-onset dystonia–parkinsonism (RDP or DYT12), alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC), and CAPOS syndrome (Cerebellar ataxia, Areflexia, Pes cavus, Optic atrophy, and Sensorineural hearing loss). Case Report: We report two cases with intermediate forms between RDP and AHC. Patient 1 initially presented with the AHC phenotype, but the RDP phenotype emerged at age 14 years. The second patient presented with levodopa-responsive paroxysmal oculogyria, a finding never before reported in ATP1A3-related disorders. Genetic testing confirmed heterozygous changes in the ATP1A3 gene in both patients, one of them novel. Discussion: Intermediate phenotypes of RDP and AHC support the concept that these two disorders are part of a spectrum. We add our cases to the phenotype–genotype correlations of ATP1A3-related disorders

Neural correlates of abnormal sensory discrimination in laryngeal dystonia

AbstractAberrant sensory processing plays a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of dystonia; however, its underpinning neural mechanisms in relation to dystonia phenotype and genotype remain unclear. We examined temporal and spatial discrimination thresholds in patients with isolated laryngeal form of dystonia (LD), who exhibited different clinical phenotypes (adductor vs. abductor forms) and potentially different genotypes (sporadic vs. familial forms). We correlated our behavioral findings with the brain gray matter volume and functional activity during resting and symptomatic speech production. We found that temporal but not spatial discrimination was significantly altered across all forms of LD, with higher frequency of abnormalities seen in familial than sporadic patients. Common neural correlates of abnormal temporal discrimination across all forms were found with structural and functional changes in the middle frontal and primary somatosensory cortices. In addition, patients with familial LD had greater cerebellar involvement in processing of altered temporal discrimination, whereas sporadic LD patients had greater recruitment of the putamen and sensorimotor cortex. Based on the clinical phenotype, adductor form-specific correlations between abnormal discrimination and brain changes were found in the frontal cortex, whereas abductor form-specific correlations were observed in the cerebellum and putamen. Our behavioral and neuroimaging findings outline the relationship of abnormal sensory discrimination with the phenotype and genotype of isolated LD, suggesting the presence of potentially divergent pathophysiological pathways underlying different manifestations of this disorder

Establishing an online resource to facilitate global collaboration and inclusion of underrepresented populations:Experience from the MJFF Global Genetic Parkinson's Disease Project

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, currently affecting ~7 million people worldwide. PD is clinically and genetically heterogeneous, with at least 10% of all cases explained by a monogenic cause or strong genetic risk factor. However, the vast majority of our present data on monogenic PD is based on the investigation of patients of European White ancestry, leaving a large knowledge gap on monogenic PD in underrepresented populations. Gene-targeted therapies are being developed at a fast pace and have started entering clinical trials. In light of these developments, building a global network of centers working on monogenic PD, fostering collaborative research, and establishing a clinical trial-ready cohort is imperative. Based on a systematic review of the English literature on monogenic PD and a successful team science approach, we have built up a network of 59 sites worldwide and have collected information on the availability of data, biomaterials, and facilities. To enable access to this resource and to foster collaboration across centers, as well as between academia and industry, we have developed an interactive map and online tool allowing for a quick overview of available resources, along with an option to filter for specific items of interest. This initiative is currently being merged with the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), which will attract additional centers with a focus on underrepresented sites. This growing resource and tool will facilitate collaborative research and impact the development and testing of new therapies for monogenic and potentially for idiopathic PD patients.</p

Embracing monogenic Parkinson's disease: the MJFF Global Genetic PD Cohort

© 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: As gene-targeted therapies are increasingly being developed for Parkinson's disease (PD), identifying and characterizing carriers of specific genetic pathogenic variants is imperative. Only a small fraction of the estimated number of subjects with monogenic PD worldwide are currently represented in the literature and availability of clinical data and clinical trial-ready cohorts is limited. Objective: The objectives are to (1) establish an international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals with PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical characterization data for each included individual; and (3) further promote collaboration of researchers in the field of monogenic PD. Methods: We conducted a worldwide, systematic online survey to collect individual-level data on individuals with PD-linked variants in SNCA, LRRK2, VPS35, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, as well as selected pathogenic and risk variants in GBA and corresponding demographic, clinical, and genetic data. All registered cases underwent thorough quality checks, and pathogenicity scoring of the variants and genotype-phenotype relationships were analyzed. Results: We collected 3888 variant carriers for our analyses, reported by 92 centers (42 countries) worldwide. Of the included individuals, 3185 had a diagnosis of PD (ie, 1306 LRRK2, 115 SNCA, 23 VPS35, 429 PRKN, 75 PINK1, 13 DJ-1, and 1224 GBA) and 703 were unaffected (ie, 328 LRRK2, 32 SNCA, 3 VPS35, 1 PRKN, 1 PINK1, and 338 GBA). In total, we identified 269 different pathogenic variants; 1322 individuals in our cohort (34%) were indicated as not previously published. Conclusions: Within the MJFF Global Genetic PD Study Group, we (1) established the largest international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals carrying PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical and genetic data for each included individual; (3) promote collaboration in the field of genetic PD with a view toward clinical and genetic stratification of patients for gene-targeted clinical trials. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Grant Number: ID 15015.02. NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. Grant Number: BRC-1215-20014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Alcohol-responsive Action Myoclonus of the Leg in Prostate Cancer: A Novel Paraneoplastic Syndrome?

Background: Paraneoplastic movement disorders in prostate cancer are rare, and to our knowledge paraneoplastic myoclonus has not previously been reported. Case Report: We report two men with adenocarcinoma of the prostate who developed isolated alcohol-responsive action myoclonus of one leg. Myoclonus was absent at rest but triggered by movement, standing, or walking. Evaluations excluded malignant invasion of the nervous system, and testing for commercial paraneoplastic antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid were unrevealing. Both patients experienced significant improvement with alcohol, and sodium oxybate was used in one patient with good initial benefit. Discussion: Alcohol-responsive leg myoclonus might be a novel paraneoplastic syndrome associated with prostate cancer. The nature of the syndrome and the source of the myoclonus are currently unknown.</p