Other movement disorders

This article examines movement disorders other than Parkinson's disease, including ataxias and hyperkinetic movement disorders. Ataxias are caused by dysfunction of the cerebellum or its connections and cause irregular disordered movement. Hyperkinetic movement disorders involve involuntary movements that often interfere with normal movements. There are several different hyperkinetic movement disorders, which can usually be distinguished by clinical assessment: in chorea, the involuntary movements are random in nature; in dystonia, the movements are patterned; in tremor, the movements are rhythmic; in myoclonus, the movements are very brief, jerky and irregular; and in tics, the movements are suppressible and associated with an underlying urge sensation This article gives an approach to diagnosing patients with ataxic and hyperkinetic movement disorders, and discuss some of the more common and important associations. It also discusses treatment including using deep brain stimulation, which can be extremely effective in correctly selected patients.