Brain Changes in Blepharospasm

NCT00500799 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 07019107-N-0191
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 72
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will examine the role of certain areas of the brain in blepharospasm, a type of dystonia (abnormality of movement and muscle tone) that causes unwanted or uncontrollable blinking or closing of the eyelids. The study will compare brain activity in healthy volunteers and in people with blepharospasm to find differences in the brain that may lead to better treatments for dystonia. Healthy volunteers and people with blepharospasm who are 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. All candidates are screened with a medical history. People with blepharospasm also have a physical examination and blepharospasm rating. Participants undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electromyography (EMG) in two 4-hour sessions, separated by 1 to 7 days. TMS A wire coil is held on the subject's scalp. A brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. The subject hears a click and may feel a pulling sensation on the skin under the coil. There may be a twitch in muscles of the face, arm or leg. During the stimulation, subjects may be asked to tense certain muscles slightly or perform other simple actions. Repetitive TMS involves repeated magnetic pulses delivered in short bursts of impulses. Subjects receive 60 pulses per minute over 15 minutes. EMG Surface EMG is done during TMS to measure the electrical activity of muscles. For this test, electrodes (small metal disks) are filled with a conductive gel and taped to the skin of the face....

Conditions

Blepharospasm

Keywords

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); Blink Reflex; Blepharospasm; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Healthy volunteers (aged 18 or older) who are willing to participate.
• Patients (aged 18 and older) with benign essential blepharospasm

You may not qualify if:

• Subjects with a history of neurological or psychiatric disorder, current use or a history of alcohol or drug abuse, psychiatric disorders requiring hospitalization or prolonged treatment, head injury with loss of consciousness, or epilepsy.
• Subjects receiving drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system
• Subjects with a history of neurological disorders other than blepharospasm
• Subjects with a history of a psychiatric disorder, current use or a history of alcohol or drug abuse, psychiatric disorders requiring hospitalization or prolonged treatment, head injury with loss of consciousness, or epilepsy.
• Subjects receiving drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system
• Subjects who have been treated with botulinum toxin injections within 3 months prior to their participation in the study
• Subjects who are taking any medication for dystonia at the time of the study
• Subjects with severe forceful closure of eyelids, subjects scoring more than 20 on the Blepharospasm Disability scale (Lindeboom et al., 1995).
• Patients for whom participation in the study would, in the opinion of the investigators, cause undue stress or excessive apprehensiveness will also be excluded. The reason for that is that, in some patients, any stressful situation (like a medical exam or experiment) may cause a strong increase in the involuntary blink rate leading to a severe functional discomfort.
• Subjects with cardiac pacemakers, intracardiac lines, implanted medication pumps.
• Subjects with eye, blood vessel, cochlear, or eye implants.
• Subjects with increased intracranial pressure as evaluated by clinical means
• Subjects with metal in the cranium
• Subjects with dental braces (but dental fillings are not a problem), metal fragments from occupational exposure or surgical clips in or near the brain.
• Subjects with a personal or family history of hearing loss

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)

• Baker RS, Andersen AH, Morecraft RJ, Smith CD. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study in patients with benign essential blepharospasm. J Neuroophthalmol. 2003 Mar;23(1):11-5. doi: 10.1097/00041327-200303000-00003.

  PMID: 12616082 BACKGROUND

• Cunnington R, Iansek R, Thickbroom GW, Laing BA, Mastaglia FL, Bradshaw JL, Phillips JG. Effects of magnetic stimulation over supplementary motor area on movement in Parkinson's disease. Brain. 1996 Jun;119 ( Pt 3):815-22. doi: 10.1093/brain/119.3.815.

  PMID: 8673493 BACKGROUND

• Gerschlager W, Siebner HR, Rothwell JC. Decreased corticospinal excitability after subthreshold 1 Hz rTMS over lateral premotor cortex. Neurology. 2001 Aug 14;57(3):449-55. doi: 10.1212/wnl.57.3.449.

  PMID: 11502912 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Blepharospasm

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Eyelid Diseases; Eye Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 12, 2007
• First Posted: July 13, 2007
• Study Start: July 9, 2007
• Study Completion: April 14, 2009
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2009-04-14

Locations

US (1)