Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Meige's disease is a form of focal dystonia characterized by symmetric dystonic spasms of facial muscles, sometimes associated with dystonic movements of other midline muscle groups. The etiology and pathophysiology of the disease have not been established. There is evidence that Meige's disease may result from striatal dopaminergic preponderance coupled with cholinergic overactivity. Several authors have noted a high prevalence of depression in patients with Meige's disease, suggesting a common neurochemical abnormality. Depression, in turn, is associated with decreased pineal melatonin secretion. We propose, based on studies demonstrating that melatonin regulates dopaminergic, cholinergic and GABA-ergic functions, that alterations in melatonin functions may enhance the development of the disease. This hypothesis may open new avenues toward understanding the pathophysiology of the disease and developing newer therapeutic strategies.
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PMID:Melatonin secretion and the pathophysiology of Meige's disease (idiopathic orofacial dystonia): a hypothesis. 197 65

Seventeen patients with prominent orofacial dystonia of unknown cause (idiopathic orofacial dystonia: Meige's disease) were examined and several clinical features seen that, to my knowledge, had previously not been recognized. These include a family history of dystonia or other extrapyramidal disorders, a high incidence of depression, and frequent extension of spasms beyond the orofacial muscles. The course of the muscle spasms varies: rapid progression (eg, two months) to maximal disability occurred in some patients, and clear improvement after years of severe disability was observed in others. In addition to the muscle spasms, neurological abnormalities that suggest dysfunction of the basal ganglia were frequently present. The "spasm facial median" of Meige may be a distinct dystonic disorder, unrelated to idiopathic torsion dystonia.
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PMID:Clinical features of Meige's disease (idiopathic orofacial dystonia): a report of 17 cases. 746 47