https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, identified a receptor that plays a crucial role in stress-induced motor incoordination associated with ataxias. These hereditary motor disorders have long been linked to the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-receptor-cerebellum-insights-molecular-basis.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:05:03 EDT news679320301 When we think of movement disorders, the tremors associated with Parkinson's disease are probably what first spring to mind. However, there are other equally debilitating and much less well-known conditions that profoundly affect quality of life for those who suffer from them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-muscles-rebel-dystonia-debilitating-widely.html Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:05:04 EDT news677347501 Cerebral palsy affects around one in 345 children in the U.S., and more than half of them experience a problem called dystonia—involuntary and often painful muscle contractions, most commonly in the legs, that lead to abnormal movement and postures and make regular activities such as walking difficult. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-straightforward-method-accurately-severity-movement.html Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:03:04 EDT news674409781 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has attracted a lot of attention for his raspy voice, which results from a neurological voice disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-rfk-jr-strained-shaky-voice.html Thu, 01 May 2025 13:43:10 EDT news665325783 Some of Dr. Tanya Meyer's patients contend with chronic neuromuscular conditions that can turn smooth, unencumbered speech into raspy paroxysms of sound. Fortunately, this can be managed with periodic botulinum toxin injections—yes, Botox—in the throat, which block the unwelcome nerve signals that make vocal muscles spasm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-highlights-varied-botox-vocal-disorders.html Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:32:02 EDT news606061921 Many neurological conditions that involve involuntary muscle contractions have long been considered as diseases of the brain. However, both the brain and the spinal cord contain many nerve cells associated with movement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-movement-symptoms-dystonia-spinal-cord.html Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:42:04 EDT news605274122 KAIST's neuroscientist and professor, Dr. Daesoo Kim attended the "Conference for Musicians with Dystonia" supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Carnegie Hall concert of legendary pianist João Carlos Martins, who is also a dystonia patient, to announce his team's recent advancements toward finding a cure for dystonia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-musicians-dystonia.html Tue, 03 Jan 2023 09:17:24 EST news591959837 Dystonias are potentially disabling neurological conditions that can greatly affect quality of life. Effective treatments are sparse, with botulinum toxin (Botox) injections into the affected muscles considered the first-line therapy. However, the injections do not work for every patient with dystonia, and there has been no established way for clinicians to determine who would benefit and who would not prior to treatment initiation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-ai-tool-patients-dystonia-botox.html Wed, 21 Dec 2022 15:56:04 EST news590860561 People wanting to keep wrinkles at bay will soon have a new option now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first competitor for Botox in decades. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-fda-botox-competitor-longer.html Fri, 09 Sep 2022 11:30:03 EDT news581940828 Recent discoveries made by researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin may prove vital in improving the treatment of dystonia, a neurological movement disorder. Published in PNAS, their findings show that very specific networks in the brain must be stimulated in order to relieve the symptoms seen in different types of dystonia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-optimizing-deep-brain-patients-dystonia.html Fri, 01 Apr 2022 10:08:51 EDT news568026528 Basal ganglia are deep grey matter structures in the brain involved in the control of posture and voluntary movements, cognition, behaviour, and motivational states. Several conditions are known to affect basal ganglia during childhood, but many questions remain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-insights-basal-ganglia-diseases.html Thu, 06 Jan 2022 04:10:12 EST news560664609 You might know botulinum toxin as Botox: one of many brand names for the injectable drug that smooths wrinkles and facial creases. What you might not know is that botulinum toxin can also be used to treat migraines and ease the symptoms of many other neurological conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-06-neurological-conditions-botox.html Mon, 14 Jun 2021 10:14:09 EDT news542884447 Researchers at Mass Eye and Ear have developed a unique diagnostic tool that can detect dystonia from MRI scans, the first technology of its kind to provide an objective diagnosis of the disorder. Dystonia is a potentially disabling neurological condition that causes involuntary muscle contractions, leading to abnormal movements and postures. It is often misdiagnosed and can take people up to 10 years to get a correct diagnosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-artificial-intelligence-platform-dystonia-high.html Mon, 28 Sep 2020 15:00:07 EDT news520492800 (HealthDay)—About 15 percent of patients treated with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) for dystonia or spasticity can develop an immune response to the treatment itself, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in Neurology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-patients-immune-botulinum-toxin-treatments.html Wed, 12 Dec 2018 11:00:01 EST news463831995 For the first time, researchers from Charité have shown that in patients with a type of movement disorder known as dystonia, a particular pattern of brain activity is linked to both the severity of symptoms and the clinical outcomes achieved through deep brain stimulation. Results from this study, which has been published in the journal Annals of Neurology, may help to adapt treatment to individual patient needs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-deep-brain-treatment-movement-disorders.html Wed, 27 Dec 2017 05:37:32 EST news433575444 Botulinum toxins are currently applicable in more than 80 medical conditions including muscle spasms, overactive bladder, chronic migraine, cervical dystonia, sweating and cerebral palsy (CP). A new toxin, Botulinum neurotoxin type X (BoNT/X), has the potential to open up a new field of toxin therapeutics related to intracellular membrane trafficking and secretion. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-08-botulinum-neurotoxin-discoveredpotential-medical-conditions.html Thu, 03 Aug 2017 05:48:11 EDT news420958080 Researchers at the University of Liverpool have identified the basis for how a single gene mutation can cause a rare neurological movement disorder known as dystonia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-inherited-neurological-disorder.html Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:15:39 EDT news411041533 DNA sequencing has defined a new genetic disorder that affects movement, enabling patients with dystonia—a disabling condition that affects voluntary movement—to be targeted for treatment that brings remarkable improvements, including restoring independent walking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-genetic-dystonia-patients-benefit-deep.html Mon, 19 Dec 2016 12:48:40 EST news401374111 Duke University researchers have identified a common mechanism underlying separate forms of dystonia, a family of brain disorders that cause involuntary, debilitating and often painful movements, including twists and turns of different parts of the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-12-scientists-drug-screening-tool-dystonia.html Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:38:14 EST news400426687 Researchers at VIB-KU Leuven have managed to get a clearer view on the roots of dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary twisting movements. Led by Rose Goodchild (VIB-KU Leuven) and supported by the Foundation for Dystonia Research, the VIB scientists unraveled the mechanism by which DYT1 dystonia – the disease's most common hereditary form – causes cellular defects. The findings shed new light on this poorly understood condition – and may, ultimately, lead to new medical approaches to overcome it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-cellular-lipids-link-faulty-gene.html Tue, 09 Aug 2016 09:10:05 EDT news389949635 The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has updated its 2008 guidelines on the use of botulinum toxin for spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm and migraine headache, based on recent research. The guideline is published in the April 18, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and will be presented at the 68th AAN Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-04-aan-guidelines-botulinum-toxin-spasticity.html Mon, 18 Apr 2016 16:54:37 EDT news380217224 For nearly 20 years, Sylvia May has not been able to hold her head straight. The muscles in her neck are in constant spasm, meaning her head tilts permanently to one side in an often painful position. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-treatment-dystonia.html Tue, 21 Jul 2015 07:10:01 EDT news356680603 Neuroscientists at Emory have refined a map showing which parts of the brain are activated during head rotation, resolving a decades-old puzzle. Their findings may help in the study of movement disorders affecting the head and neck, such as cervical dystonia and head tremor. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-redrawing-brain-motor.html Tue, 16 Jun 2015 17:00:01 EDT news353669382 People with a genetic predisposition to dystonia living closer to the equator (and who are thus exposed to more sunlight) are more likely to develop involuntary contraction of their eye muscles (blepharospasm) than those in their necks. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-sunlight-exposure-latitude-linked-dystonia.html Fri, 05 Jun 2015 06:51:37 EDT news352705889 Michael Richardson first experienced symptoms of dystonia, a movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms, when he was 13. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-easing-dystonia-symptoms-deep-brain.html Tue, 05 May 2015 09:40:02 EDT news350035596 Although deep brain stimulation can be an effective therapy for dystonia – a potentially crippling movement disorder – the treatment isn't always effective, or benefits may not be immediate. Precise placement of DBS electrodes is one of several factors that can affect results, but few studies have attempted to identify the "sweet spot," where electrode placement yields the best results. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-06-d-refine-deep-brain-therapy.html Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:52:26 EDT news322905136 Twist and hold your neck to the left. Now down, and over to the right, until it hurts. Now imagine your neck – or arms or legs – randomly doing that on their own, without you controlling it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-06-neuro-disease-discovery-aid-people.html Tue, 17 Jun 2014 17:00:01 EDT news322238019 A collaborative discovery involving Kansas State University researchers may lead to the first universal treatment for dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects nearly half a million Americans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-scientists-protein-neurological-disorder-dystonia.html Tue, 06 May 2014 11:37:22 EDT news318595007 Deep brain stimulation therapy blocks or modulates electrical signals in the brain to improve symptoms in patients suffering from movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia, but a new study suggests that several factors may cause electrical current to vary over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-07-factors-fluctuations-deep-brain.html Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:49:46 EDT news292762156 In what is believed to be the largest follow-up record of patients with the most common form of hereditary dystonia – a movement disorder that can cause crippling muscle contractions – experts in deep brain stimulation report good success rates and lasting benefits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-long-term-deep-brain-effective-common.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:39:01 EDT news290885915