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Spinal myoclonus resembling belly dance
Author(s) -
Kono Ichiyo,
Ueda Yoshihiro,
Araki Kuniharu,
Nakajima Kenji,
Shibasaki Hiroshi
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
movement disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.352
H-Index - 198
eISSN - 1531-8257
pISSN - 0885-3185
DOI - 10.1002/mds.870090309
Subject(s) - myoclonus , dance , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , neuroscience , anatomy , art , literature
A 63‐year‐old man presented with an 11‐month history of progressive myoclonus in the right abdominal wall. Administration of clonazepam reduced the frequency and amplitude. When the therapy was discontinued, the frequency and amplitude of the myoclonus increased, and synchronous and weak myoclonus also was observed in the left abdomen. The trunk was twisted just after the appearance of the abdominal myoclonus associated with myoclonic jerks spreading from the rostral to caudal paraspinal muscles. Later in the clinical course, the myoclonus became stimulus sensitive and was induced by tendon tap given anywhere on the body, with the latency ranging from 50 to 150 ms irrespective of the sites of tapping. Myoclonus seen in the abdominal wall was segmental and considered to be of spinal origin. The reflex myoclonus had a 150‐ms refractory period. It can be postulated that increased excitability of anterior horn cells at a certain segment might make a spino‐bulbo‐spinal reflex manifest at the corresponding segment. This myoclonus is considered to be a new form of spinal reflex myoclonus, because the abdominal myoclonic jerk seems to trigger another myoclonic jerk involving the paraspinal muscles.