Muscle Contraction in Patients With Focal Hand Dystonia

NCT00376753 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 06024206-N-0242
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 84
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will examine and compare brain activity in people with focal hand dystonia (FHD) and healthy volunteers to obtain further knowledge about the underlying cause of FHD. Patients with dystonia have muscle spasms that cause abnormal postures while trying to perform a movement; FHD affects the hands and fine finger movements. During fine finger movement, the brain controls muscles in a process called surround inhibition. This process may be impaired in people with hand dystonia, leading to uncontrolled overactivity in muscles and impairing motor function. Healthy volunteers and patients with FHD over 18 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a physical and neurological examination. In a series of three experiments conducted during a single clinic visit, participants undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) while performing a finger movement. A wire coil is placed on the subject's scalp. A brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that travels through the scalp and skull and causes small electrical currents in the outer part of the brain. The stimulation may cause muscle, hand or arm twitching, or may affect movement or reflexes. During the stimulation, the subject is asked to contract one finger. In addition to TMS, subjects have surface electromyography. For this test, they sit in a chair with their hands placed on a pillow on their lap. The electrical activity of three muscles in the right hand is recorded by electrodes (small metal disks) taped to the skin over the muscles.

Conditions

Focal Hand Dystonia

Keywords

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); Writer's Cramp; Electromyogram; Focal Hand Dystonia; FHD; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• PATIENTS:
• years old or older
• Presence of FHD, for Experiment 5, 6, 7 and 8 the affected limb has to be the right and dominant side
• HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS:
• years old or older
• Right handedness
• Absence of dystonia or other neurological disorder with any effect on the motor or sensory systems

You may not qualify if:

• PATIENTS AND HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS:
• Concurrent significant medical, surgical, neurological or psychiatric condition
• Taking the following medications: antidepressants, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, antiparkinson, hypnotics, stimulants, and/or antihistamines
• Patients- Received botulinum toxin injection within 3 months of starting the protocol
• For TMS: Presence of pacemaker, implanted medical pump, metal plate or metal object in skull or eye
• History of seizure disorder
• Known history of hearing loss
• For MRI: Presence of pacemakers or other implanted electrical devices, brain stimulators, dental implants, aneurysm clips, metallic prostheses (including metal pins and rods, heart valves, and cochlear implants), permanent eyeliner, implanted delivery pumps, or shrapnel fragments. Welders and metal workers are also at risk for injury because of possible small metal fragments in the eye of which they may be unaware.
• Pregnancy.

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)

• Berardelli A, Rothwell JC, Hallett M, Thompson PD, Manfredi M, Marsden CD. The pathophysiology of primary dystonia. Brain. 1998 Jul;121 ( Pt 7):1195-212. doi: 10.1093/brain/121.7.1195.

  PMID: 9679773 BACKGROUND

• Bressman SB, de Leon D, Raymond D, Greene PE, Brin MF, Fahn S, Ozelius LJ, Breakefield XO, Kramer PL, Risch NJ. The role of the DYT1 gene in secondary dystonia. Adv Neurol. 1998;78:107-15. No abstract available.

  PMID: 9750907 BACKGROUND

• Defazio G, Aniello MS, Masi G, Lucchese V, De Candia D, Martino D. Frequency of familial aggregation in primary adult-onset cranial cervical dystonia. Neurol Sci. 2003 Oct;24(3):168-9. doi: 10.1007/s10072-003-0113-3.

  PMID: 14598070 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dystonia, Focal, Task-Specific; Dystonic Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Movement Disorders; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2006
• First Posted: September 15, 2006
• Study Start: September 11, 2006
• Study Completion: May 11, 2011
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-05-11

Locations

US (1)