EEG and EMG Studies of Hand Dystonia

NCT00025701 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 02001002-N-0010
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 75
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will examine how the brain operates during execution and control of voluntary movement and what goes wrong with these processes in disease. It will use electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) to compare brain function in normal subjects and in patients with focal hand dystonia. In dystonia, involuntary muscle movements, or spasms, cause uncontrolled twisting and repetitive movement or abnormal postures. Focal dystonia involves just one region of the body, such as the hand, neck or face. EEG measures the electrical activity of the brain. The activity is recorded using wire electrodes attached to the scalp or mounted on a Lycra cap placed on the head. EMG measures electrical activity from muscles. It uses wire electrodes placed on the skin over the muscles. Adult healthy normal volunteers and patients with focal hand dystonia may be eligible for this study. Patients will be selected from NINDS's dystonia patient database. Participants will sit in a semi-reclining chair in a darkened room and be asked to move either their right index finger, right foot, or the angle of their mouth on the right side at a rate of one movement every 10 seconds. Brain and muscle activity will be measured during this task with EEG and EMG recordings.

Conditions

Focal Dystonia

Keywords

Cortex; Inhibition; Motor Control; Event-Related Synchronization; Event-Related Desynchronization; Focal Hand Dystonia; Focal Dystonia; Dystonia; Hand; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• The study population will consist of (a) healthy volunteers; and (b) patients with focal hand dystonia.
• Healthy subjects: Healthy volunteers who consented to participate in the study.
• Patients diagnosed with focal hand dystonia: unilateral focal hand dystonia from our dystonia patient database who consented to participate in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Healthy subjects: abnormal neurological exam or history of past neurological disease.
• Dystonia patients: the presence of a second neurological disease or condition; abnormal neurological findings on exam that are not related to their focal hand dystonia.
• For MRI studies, patients with metallic implants will be excluded to remove potential risks from this procedure.
• For MRI purposes, women who are pregnant are excluded from this part of the protocol. Therefore, all women of childbearing potential will have a pregnancy test performed prior to prospective MRI studies, which must be negative, before proceeding.
• For TMS studies, healthy volunteers or focal hand dystonia patients who have a pacemaker, an implanted medical pump, a metal plate or metal object in the skull or eye (for example, after brain surgery), or who have a history of seizure disorder will be excluded from the trial.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Bara-Jimenez W, Catalan MJ, Hallett M, Gerloff C. Abnormal somatosensory homunculus in dystonia of the hand. Ann Neurol. 1998 Nov;44(5):828-31. doi: 10.1002/ana.410440520.

  PMID: 9818942 BACKGROUND

• Allard T, Clark SA, Jenkins WM, Merzenich MM. Reorganization of somatosensory area 3b representations in adult owl monkeys after digital syndactyly. J Neurophysiol. 1991 Sep;66(3):1048-58. doi: 10.1152/jn.1991.66.3.1048.

  PMID: 1753275 BACKGROUND

• Abbruzzese G, Marchese R, Buccolieri A, Gasparetto B, Trompetto C. Abnormalities of sensorimotor integration in focal dystonia: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Brain. 2001 Mar;124(Pt 3):537-45. doi: 10.1093/brain/124.3.537.

  PMID: 11222454 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dystonic Disorders; Inhibition, Psychological; Dystonia, Focal, Task-Specific; Dystonia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Movement Disorders; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Behavior; Dyskinesias; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 11, 2001
• First Posted: October 12, 2001
• Study Start: October 9, 2001
• Study Completion: October 4, 2010
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2010-10-04

Locations

US (1)