View clinical trials related to Focal Hand Dystonia.
Filter by:This study was conducted to assess the combine role of Physiotherapy by providing task specific trainings and Botulinum Toxin Type A in improving the functional outcomes of upper limb in post stroke patients with focal hand dystonia.
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.
This study will examine the effects of long-term practice of repeated finger movements in people with focal hand dystonia, as compared with healthy volunteers. Patients with dystonia have muscle spasms that cause abnormal postures while trying to perform a movement. In focal dystonia, just one part of the body, such as the hand, neck or face, is involved. Right-handed healthy volunteers and patients with focal hand dystonia of the right hand 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and neurological and physical examination. Participants are trained daily for 11 days (excluding weekends) at the NIH and are asked to continue with daily 15 minutes of practice over a 12-week period to perform sequential finger movement task (key presses) with their left hand. They practice initially at NIH and then at home. At each clinic visit, their learning of the motor skill is assessed by recording their performance of 20 consecutive trials of the eight sequences (a total of 160 key presses) in the task. To evaluate long-term motor learning of the sequential movements, participants are asked to do different task tests at Day 2, Week 4 and Week 12. Brain wave activity, and brain excitability are also measured during these days. In one task, they see a random series of letters on a screen during the sequential finger movements and are asked to say the number of times they see a specific letter. In another task, they are asked to focus on each specific movement while performing the sequential finger movements. During each visit, they are questioned and evaluated for the development of any abnormal movements that may be suggestive of early dystonia. All participants have an electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at Day 1, and Day 2 and at Week 4 and Week 12 to evaluate brain activity. For the EEG, electrodes are placed on the subject's scalp and the electrical activity of the brain is recorded while the subject performs the sequence of finger movements. For 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 effect of TMS on the muscles is detected with small electrodes taped to the skin of the subject's arms or legs. ...
This study will evaluate the effect of transcranial electrical polarization (TEP), also called direct current (DC) stimulation, on focal hand dystonia in people with writer's cramp. In dystonia, muscle spasms cause uncontrolled twisting and repetitive movement or abnormal postures. Focal dystonia involves just one part of the body, such as the hand, neck or face. When people with focal hand dystonia make small and repeated movements with their hands, there is extra activity in the part of the brain called the motor cortex. TEP is a method of brain stimulation that slows down the activity of the nerve cells in the motor cortex. This study may help researchers develop new ways to treat focal hand dystonia. People 18 years of age and older with focal hand dystonia may be eligible for this study. Participants have a neurological examination and are randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: TEP or placebo stimulation. The TEP group receives stimulation to the parts of the brain used for hand movement, and the placebo group receives sham stimulation, which does not affect any area of the brain. There are three TEP/placebo sessions over a period of 7 to 10 days. The first session may last up to 2-1/2 hours; the other two sessions last 1-2 hours. For TEP, sponge electrodes are placed on the scalp and an electrical current is passed through the scalp and skull to the outer part of brain. Before and after each session, participants have a neurological examination, including an evaluation of the rate and severity of their movement problems. For this assessment, participants do a writing test while the electrical activity of their hand muscles is recorded using surface electromyography (EMG). For EMG, small metal disks (electrodes) filled with a conductive gel are taped to the skin over the muscles being tested. Patients are followed in the clinic the day after the end of TEP treatment for evaluation of their movement abilities and the effects of therapy, such as improvement of handwriting.