Movement Disorder

Movement disorders are neurological syndromes where they may be excess of movement or a paucity of movement that is not connected to weakness, paralysis of spasticity of the muscles. They affect the speed, fluency or smoothness, quality, and ease of movement.

What are Movement Disorders?

Movement, although seemingly simple like picking up a bit of paper, is actually a complex process that requires activities of several different parts of the brain working in tandem with muscles and nerves.

Movement Disorders and Tremors

Causes of movement disorders

Symptoms of Movement Disorders

Treatment of movement disorders

Causes of Tremor

Essential Tremor

Essential Tremor Genetics

Essential Tremor Prognosis

Treating Essential Tremor

Essential Tremor Research

Dystonia Tremors

Latest Movement Disorder News and Research

Valbenazine improves chorea associated with Huntington's disease

The drug valbenazine statistically improves chorea, a movement disorder commonly associated with Huntington's disease, when compared to a placebo, according to a recent international study led by UTHealth Houston researcher Erin Furr Stimming, MD, who served as principal investigator on behalf of the KINECT-HD Huntington Study Group.

19 May 2023

Pioneering focused ultrasound trial shows promising results for patients with Parkinson’s disease

The findings of a major international trial to test a high-tech, scalpel-free approach to treating movement problems caused by Parkinson’s disease have been published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

13 May 2023

Air pollution exacerbates movement disorder after ischemic stroke

Air pollution has been shown to have a negative effect on the prognosis of ischemic stroke, or stroke caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, but the exact mechanism is unknown.

10 May 2023

Parkinson's disease-like gut dysbiosis detected in early stages of the disease

Study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota composition in early Parkinson's disease (PD), REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), first-degree relatives of RBD (RBD-FDR), and healthy controls.

4 May 2023

Minimally invasive focused ultrasound treatment improves symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease achieved a significant improvement in their tremors, mobility, and other physical symptoms after having a minimally invasive procedure involving focused ultrasound, according to a new study today published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 Feb 2023

Data-driven algorithm predicts deep brain stimulation parameters for Parkinson’s treatment

Researchers assesses the effects of stimulation parameters suggested by a recently published data-driven algorithm (StimFit) based on neuroimaging data.

31 Jan 2023

Brain-computer interfaces' safety is similar to other implanted neurologic devices, study shows

For people with paralysis caused by neurologic injury or disease-;such as ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), stroke, or spinal cord injury-;brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to restore communication, mobility, and independence by transmitting information directly from the brain to a computer or other assistive technology.

16 Jan 2023

Study implicates gut microbiome health in Parkinson's disease

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications discusses the links between this condition that affects the brain and changes in the gut microbiome that may predate brain changes.

1 Dec 2022

Focused ultrasound treatment offers long-term relief for patients with essential tremor

A scalpel-free, high-tech form of brain surgery pioneered at UVA Health offers long-term relief for patients with essential tremor, a common movement disorder, a five-year review shows.

10 Nov 2022

OHSU discovery could suggest new avenues to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that the neurotransmitter adenosine effectively acts as a brake to dopamine, another well-known neurotransmitter involved in motor control.

9 Nov 2022

Increasing Awareness Surrounding Ataxia

In this interview, we speak to Dr. Lauren Moore from the National Ataxia Foundation about the condition and the importance of raising awareness for ataxia.

31 Oct 2022

Low-cost, robotic clothing for children with cerebral palsy

UC Riverside engineers are developing low-cost, robotic "clothing" to help children with cerebral palsy gain control over their arm movements.

23 Sep 2022

Research may open the way to developing treatments for rare movement disorders

Spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6) is an inherited neurological condition which has a debilitating impact on motor coordination.

16 Sep 2022

In vivo imaging of α-synuclein aggregates in the brains of living patients with multiple system atrophy

α-synuclein is a neuronal protein involved in functions like vesicle trafficking and neurotransmitter release. It is typically found in abundance in a healthy brain.

30 Aug 2022

AI can detect Parkinson’s from nighttime breathing patterns

Researchers develop an artificial intelligence-based model to detect Parkinson’s disease and track its progression from nocturnal breathing signals.

25 Aug 2022

Three genetic mutations seen in individuals with KCNMA1-linked channelopathy successfully mirrored in mice

Three genetic alterations associated with a rare seizure and a movement disorder primarily found in children were successfully mirrored in mice and their symptoms treated, in a new study from a University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher, Andrea Meredith, PhD, Professor of Physiology and her collaborators.

15 Aug 2022

VR balance training is highly effective in improving balance ability of patients with Parkinson's disease

JMIR Publications recently published "Benefits of Virtual Reality Balance Training for Patients With Parkinson Disease: Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-Regression of a Randomized Controlled Trial" in JMIR Serious Games, which reported that virtual reality (VR) balance training is increasingly being pursued in biomedical research, specifically with respect to investigating balance ability with VR.

2 Aug 2022

Gene mutation responsible for hereditary hemochromatosis may be a risk factor for movement disorders

A disorder called hereditary hemochromatosis, caused by a gene mutation, results in the body absorbing too much iron, leading to tissue damage and conditions like liver disease, heart problems and diabetes.

1 Aug 2022

SARS-CoV-2 infection could increase the risk of brain degeneration seen in Parkinson's disease

Brain fog, headaches, insomnia are some of the neurological symptoms doctors have observed in COVID-19 patients.

18 May 2022

World's first Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center could revolutionize cancer care

UVA Health and the Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation today announced the launch of the Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center, the world's first center dedicated specifically to advancing a focused ultrasound and cancer immunotherapy treatment approach that could revolutionize 21st-century cancer care.

11 May 2022

Movement Disorder

Overview

Movement Disorders and Tremors

Causes of movement disorders

Symptoms of Movement Disorders