Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0013421 (dystonia)
 8,418 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have observed a high incidence of ulnar neuropathy in musicians with dystonic flexion of the ipsilateral little and ring fingers. To investigate the relationship between ulnar neuropathy and focal dystonia, we compared the patterns of surface EMG activity in extensor digitorum communis (EDC4) and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS4) during tapping of the ring finger in normal controls and patients with ulnar neuropathy or focal dystonia. Ten of 10 normal subjects exhibited well-formed alternating EMG bursts in EDC4 and FDS4 separated by clear silent periods. Seven of 7 patients with dystonic flexion of the little and ring fingers showed loss of silent periods between poorly formed bursts in FDS or EDC. Surprisingly, 9 of 10 patients with ulnar neuropathy showed burst pattern abnormalities qualitatively similar to those observed in the dystonic patients. These data suggest that ulnar neuropathy alters the execution of a motor task involving multiple peripheral nerves.
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PMID:Does ulnar neuropathy predispose to focal dystonia? 775 23

Over the past 10-15 years, there has been increasing interest in the health problems of performing artists. In this review, I will discuss the major playing-related disorders seen in instrumental musicians. Among the 672 instrumentalists evaluated, the major diagnoses identified included musculoskeletal disorders in 64%, peripheral nerve problems in 22.5%, and focal dystonia in 7%. Sixty percent of instrumentalists were female although males predominate in the group with focal dystonia. The average age of those evaluated was 32 years. Among musculoskeletal disorders overuse syndrome is the most common. Frequent peripheral nerve disorders include thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and ulnar neuropathy. A characteristic distribution of symptoms and signs is identified for each instrument group. Electrodiagnostic studies are an important part of the evaluation of these disorders. With carefully designed treatment, the majority of instrumental musicians can be returned to full and pain-free playing activities. The success rate is highest in some entrapment neuropathies but remains low in focal dystonia.
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PMID:AAEM minimonograph #43: neuromuscular problems in the performing arts. 819 98

Peripheral nerve lesions are sometimes associated with focal dystonia. We diagnosed ulnar neuropathy in 28 of 73 (40%) cases of occupational cramp in musicians. Focal slowing of ulnar conduction across the elbow was identified in 15 of 19 (79%) patients using the near nerve technique and in 5 of 17 (29%) patients using surface recording. Ulnar neuropathy was present in 24 of 31 (77%) cases with flexion dystonia of the fourth and fifth digits and only 4 of the remaining 42 (10%) cases with other patterns of focal dystonia. Focal dystonia improved in 13 of 14 patients whose ulnar neuropathy improved and appeared or worsened in 2 patients following ulnar nerve injury. These data, together with our recent observation of a dystonic pattern of antagonist bursting in patients with isolated ulnar neuropathy (Muscle Nerve 1995, 18:606-611), suggest that ulnar neuropathy may initiate or sustain a specific dystonia, flexion of the fourth and fifth digits, by inducing a central disorder of motor control.
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PMID:Ulnar neuropathy and dystonic flexion of the fourth and fifth digits: clinical correlation in musicians. 862 20

Genetic haplotypes at five marker loci that are closely linked to the DYT1 gene on chromosome 9q were determined in 10 Ashkenazi Jewish patients with focal hand dystonia (eight with musician's cramp, two with writer's cramp). The founder haplotype associated with > 90% of cases generalized dystonia in the Ashkenazi Jewish population could not be constructed from any of the twenty chromosomes. Potential haplotypes were determined, and no common haplotype was discerned in these patients. These findings argue against a role for the founder mutation in the DYT1 gene in the etiology of occupational hand dystonia in this ethnic group. Further, if the DYT1 gene is involved in these later onset dystonias, there is no evidence for a common mutation in the Ashkenazic Jewish population. It appears that excessive, repetitive use, possibly in combination with ulnar neuropathy, may serve as the inciting cause of some focal dystonias.
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PMID:Haplotype analysis at the DYT1 locus in Ashkenazi Jewish patients with occupational hand dystonia. 868 86

Over the past 20 years, there has been increasing interest in the medical problems of performing artists. In this review, the major playing-related disorders seen in instrumental musicians are discussed. Among the 1353 instrumentalists personally evaluated, the major diagnoses included musculoskeletal disorders in 64%, peripheral nerve problems in 20%, and focal dystonia in 8%. Of these instrumentalists, 60% were women, although men were the majority in the group with focal dystonia. The average age at the time of evaluation was 37 years for men and 30 years for women. Among musculoskeletal disorders, regional muscle pain syndromes, particularly of the upper limb, upper trunk, and neck, were most common. Specific entities such as tendinitis and ligament sprain were less common. Frequent peripheral nerve disorders included thoracic outlet syndrome, ulnar neuropathy at the elbow, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Each instrument group showed a characteristic distribution of symptoms and signs that appeared to be directly related to the static and dynamic stresses inherent in the playing of the instrument. Electrodiagnostic studies are an important part of the evaluation of these disorders, particularly nerve entrapment syndromes. With carefully designed treatment, the majority of instrumental musicians can return to full and pain-free playing. Nerve entrapment syndromes have the highest treatment success rate, followed by musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Despite some recent innovative approaches, focal dystonia remains largely resistant to therapy.
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PMID:Neuromuscular and musculoskeletal problems in instrumental musicians. 1270 74

A number of neurological abnormalities associated with the playing of musical instruments have been described which can cause great difficulty for performers. However, there has been no attempt to consider this in an Irish context, a cultural setting which encompasses an unusual range of playing styles and musical instruments. We performed a retrospective assessment of musicians referred to our service for neurophysiological testing. In this series of 17 musicians, most (59%) had more than one abnormality on testing. We discovered fifteen cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, eleven cases of ulnar neuropathy, and four cases of focal dystonia. Compared to previously published reports, our series contains a greater proportion of amateur musicians, a group not well studied in the literature.
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PMID:A review of neurological abnormalities associated with the practise of music. 1962 14