Browsing by Author "Bhatia, Kailash P. (25958636400)"

[No abstract available]

[No abstract available]

Geste antagonistes are usually considered typical of primary dystonia, although rarely they have been described in secondary/heredodegenerative dystonias. We have recently come across a particular geste antagoniste in 5 of 10 patients with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) who had prominent oromandibular involvement with severe jaw-opening dystonia. It consists of touching the chin with both hands characteristically clenched into a fist with flexion at the elbows. Because of the resemblance of this geste antagoniste with the praying-like posture of Mantis religiosa, we coined the term “mantis sign.” Reviewing videos of PKAN cases in literature, including what is considered the first cinematic depiction of a case of this disorder, 3 additional cases with akin maneuvers were identified. In contrast, examining 205 videos of non-PKAN dystonic patients from our database for the presence of a similar maneuver was unrevealing. Thus, we consider the mantis sign to be quite typical of PKAN and propose it to be added as a clinical hint toward diagnosis. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Geste antagonistes are usually considered typical of primary dystonia, although rarely they have been described in secondary/heredodegenerative dystonias. We have recently come across a particular geste antagoniste in 5 of 10 patients with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) who had prominent oromandibular involvement with severe jaw-opening dystonia. It consists of touching the chin with both hands characteristically clenched into a fist with flexion at the elbows. Because of the resemblance of this geste antagoniste with the praying-like posture of Mantis religiosa, we coined the term “mantis sign.” Reviewing videos of PKAN cases in literature, including what is considered the first cinematic depiction of a case of this disorder, 3 additional cases with akin maneuvers were identified. In contrast, examining 205 videos of non-PKAN dystonic patients from our database for the presence of a similar maneuver was unrevealing. Thus, we consider the mantis sign to be quite typical of PKAN and propose it to be added as a clinical hint toward diagnosis. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Functional movement disorder (FMD) is a common manifestation of functional neurological disorder presenting with diverse phenotypes such as tremor, weakness and gait disorder. Our current understanding of the basic epidemiological features of this condition is unclear. We aimed to describe and examine the relationship between age at onset, phenotype and gender in FMD in a large meta-analysis of published and unpublished individual patient cases. An electronic search of PubMed was conducted for studies from 1968 to 2019 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Individual patient data were collected through a research network. We described the distribution of age of onset and how this varied by gender and motor phenotype. A one-stage meta-analysis was performed using multilevel mixed-effects linear regression, including random intercepts for country and data source. A total of 4905 individual cases were analysed (72.6% woman). The mean age at onset was 39.6 years (SD 16.1). Women had a significantly earlier age of onset than men (39.1 years vs 41.0 years). Mixed FMD (23.1%), tremor (21.6%) and weakness (18.1%) were the most common phenotypes. Compared with tremor (40.7 years), the mean ages at onset of dystonia (34.5 years) and weakness (36.4 years) were significantly younger, while gait disorders (43.2 years) had a significantly later age at onset. The interaction between gender and phenotype was not significant. FMD peaks in midlife with varying effects of gender on age at onset and phenotype. The data gives some support to’lumping’ FMD as a unitary disorder but also highlights the value in’splitting’ into individual phenotypes where relevant. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022.

Objectives: In dystonia the formulation of a clinical syndrome is paramount to refine the list of etiologies. We here describe the rare association of dystonia with anarthria/aphonia, by examining a large cohort of patients, to provide a narrow field of underlying conditions and a practical algorithmic approach to reach diagnosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases, which were evaluated between 2005 and 2014, to identify those with dystonia combined with marked anarthria and/or aphonia. We reviewed demographic information, clinical characteristics, as well as clinico-genetic investigations. We evaluated video material where available. Results: From 860 cases with dystonia as the predominant motor feature, we identified 32 cases (3.7%) with anarthria/aphonia. Age at neurological symptom onset was variable, but the majority of cases (n = 20) developed symptoms within their first eight years of life. A conclusive diagnosis was reached in 27 cases. Monoamine neurotransmitter disorders, neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation syndromes, hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, and syndromes with inborn errors of metabolism were the most common diagnoses. Brain MRI was crucial for reaching a diagnosis by examining the structural integrity of the basal ganglia, the cerebral cortex, brain myelination and whether there was abnormal metal deposition. Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying anarthria/aphonia included dystonia, corticobulbar involvement, apraxia and abnormalities of brain development. Conclusions: The spectrum of conditions that may present with the syndrome of dystonia with anarthria/aphonia is broad. Various causes may account for the profound speech disturbance. A practical brain MRI-based algorithm is provided to aid the diagnostic procedure. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.

Objectives: In dystonia the formulation of a clinical syndrome is paramount to refine the list of etiologies. We here describe the rare association of dystonia with anarthria/aphonia, by examining a large cohort of patients, to provide a narrow field of underlying conditions and a practical algorithmic approach to reach diagnosis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases, which were evaluated between 2005 and 2014, to identify those with dystonia combined with marked anarthria and/or aphonia. We reviewed demographic information, clinical characteristics, as well as clinico-genetic investigations. We evaluated video material where available. Results: From 860 cases with dystonia as the predominant motor feature, we identified 32 cases (3.7%) with anarthria/aphonia. Age at neurological symptom onset was variable, but the majority of cases (n = 20) developed symptoms within their first eight years of life. A conclusive diagnosis was reached in 27 cases. Monoamine neurotransmitter disorders, neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation syndromes, hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, and syndromes with inborn errors of metabolism were the most common diagnoses. Brain MRI was crucial for reaching a diagnosis by examining the structural integrity of the basal ganglia, the cerebral cortex, brain myelination and whether there was abnormal metal deposition. Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying anarthria/aphonia included dystonia, corticobulbar involvement, apraxia and abnormalities of brain development. Conclusions: The spectrum of conditions that may present with the syndrome of dystonia with anarthria/aphonia is broad. Various causes may account for the profound speech disturbance. A practical brain MRI-based algorithm is provided to aid the diagnostic procedure. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.