Hey there, do you have some cool sources on other types on involuntary movement that are not tics?
Yes, I do! Here is a list of involuntary movements, a simple description, and links to resources on them:
Akathisia -> an inability to remain still
StatPearls article
cleveland clinic article (very good)
Akinesia -> the loss of spontaneous, voluntary muscle movement
StatPearls article (free article)
healthline article
Athetosis -> slow, continuous, involuntary writhing movements commonly affecting arms and hands
healthline article
Chorea -> rapid, chaotic movements that seem to flow from one body part to another
NINDS article
StatPearls article
Dystonia -> sustained or repetitious muscular contractions; often produces abnormal posture
mayo clinic article
NINDS article
StatPearls article
Hemiballismus -> sudden, intermittent, flinging, or ballistic high amplitude movements commonly affecting proximal limb muscles
StatPearls article
Myoclonus → sudden, brief, involuntary muscle twitches
mayo clinic article
NINDS article
StatPearls article
Parkinsonism -> a clinical syndrome characterized by slowness, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability
StatPearls article
parkinson's disease vs parkinsonism
types of parkinsonism (parkinson's UK)
types of parkinsonism (parkinson's foundation)
Stereotypies -> repetitive, rhythmic movements with typical onset in early childhood
stereotypies in adults
medlink article
Tardive Dyskinesia -> uncontrollable and repetitive movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities
webmd article
Tics -> sudden, rapid, recurrent, and nonrhythmic movements or vocalizations
mayo clinic article on tourette syndrome
NINDS article on tourette syndrome
child mind institute article on tics and tourette
Tremor -> rhythmic back-and-forth or oscillating involuntary movements
NINDS article
classification of tremor
(at request I can find Tumblr or blog posts talking about personal experiences with some of these movements)
Basic definitions come from this article: https://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/effects/drug-induced-abnormal-involuntary-movements-prevalence-and-treatment/
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Neurodegenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells.
- Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
- Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
- Huntington’s Disease (HD)
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Stephen Hawking lost control of his skeletal muscles due to ALS.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder.
- First described by James Parkinson, an English doctor in 1817.
- Risk of PD increases with age, but an early-onset variant occurs before age 40.
Diagnosis
- neurological symptoms
- imaging tests
- reaction to anti-Parkinson’s drug L-DOPA
if symptoms improve with L-DOPA, then patient has PD.
- post-mortem examination of the brain
Symptoms
(A) Motor
- Tremor: The most visible outward sign of PD is a tremor that occurs when limbs are relaxed, but disappears with intentional movement.
- Rigidity: shuffling gait caused by rigid joints.
- Postural instability: Disorders of posture and impaired balance may cause patients to lean forward or backward when upright, and have stooped posture.
- Slowness of movement
- Akinesia: difficulty initiating movement
- Involuntary movements
- Less movement of facial muscles: reduces the range of facial expressions possible. Many patients with PD are described as “stone-faced.”
- Speech disturbances: decreased speaking volume, and monotonous speech or uncontrollable acceleration of speech.
(B) Cognitive/Emotional
- Impoverishment of feeling, motive, and attention
- Cognitive slowing
- Possible/occasional anxiety
- Parkinson’s patients may also develop dementia (Parkinson’s disease dementia, or PDD). This is difficult to distinguish from comorbid Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Post-mortem Examination
- A definitive diagnosis of PD is currently not possible until after death.
- Depletion of melanin due to the death of neurons in the substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease is typically indicated by loss of brown color in this area.
- Microscopic examination reveals presence of Lewy bodies.
Brain Imaging
- A marker or test that reliably indicates PD in live patients would be useful for determining treatment options.
- DaTscan was approved by the FDA in 2011 for striatal dopamine transport visualization to assist in the evaluation of adult patients with suspected PD.
Unfortunately, this is prohibitively expensive, and dopamine transporter can be reduced in other neurological diseases, so the results are not conclusive.
Pathophysiology
- Aside from the resting tremor, all motor symptoms are explained by loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra.
- As a result, there is insufficient amount of dopamine in the basal ganglia.
- Malfunction of the basal ganglia results in motor disturbances.
Several processes contribute to degeneration of neurons, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, excitotoxicity, protein misfolding.
Protein Misfolding
- Protein folding is a physical process of the formation of a highly organized molecular structure, with a characteristic and thermodynamically stable conformation, by a polypeptide chain.
- In many neurodenerative diseases, proteins that do not fold properly (misfolded proteins) produce pathological changes in the brain.
- In PD, pathology is linked to misfolded a-synuclein.
- In healthy cells, a-synuclein mediates vesicle movement at axon terminals.
Lewy Bodies
Lewy bodies = dense, circular clusters (or aggregates) of protein within cells.
- They consist of a-snyuclein and other proteins.
- Misfolded a-synuclein molecules tend to aggregate and form Lewy bodies.
- They interrupt cell function and trigger apoptotic cell death.
- They can be detected during post-mortem examination of PD brain.
Spread of Parkinson’s Disease in the Brain
(1) Olfactory structures = sense of smell is lost.
(2) Brainstem nuclei: the raphe (serotonergic neurons) and locus coeruleus (norepinephrine neurons).
(3) Substantia nigra, amygdala = motor symptoms begin at this stage.
(4) Temporal cortex, premotor cortex
(5) Other sensory cortices, motor cortex
Etiology of Parkinson’s Disease
Although there are genetic and environmental risk factors, a definitive cause has not yet been discovered.
(A) Genetics
15% of PD patients reported an affected family member.
5-10% of PD cases are linked to known mutations.
(B) Aging
Due to an aging population, researchers project the number of people with Parkinson’s will double by 2040.
(C) Traumatic brain injury
Researchers looked at the medical records of >300,000 veterans and found that mild TBI increases risk of PD by 56%, while moderate to severe TBI increases risk of PD by 84%.
(D) Environmental factors
MPP+
1976: Bad batch of synthetic heroin (containing MPTP contaminant) produced “instant” Parkinson’s.
- MPTP is oxidized to MPP+ that damages dopaminergic cells.
- Paraquat is structurally similar to MPP+ and is currently used as an herbicide.
A known fast-acting inducer of Parkinson’s disease in primate brains
In 2011, a US National Institutes of Health study showed a link between paraquat use and Parkinson’s disease in farm workers.
Paraquat has been banned in the European Union since 2007. It can be used in the US with a license.
TCE
- Trichloroethylene, a solvent used to clean metals and remove stains, has exactly the same effect on human brains.
- It is still widely used and is detectable in high concentrations in groundwater.
- There have been many lawsuits about TCE groundwater and drinking water that’s been contaminated by industrial discharge.
Behavioral Treatments
physical therapy
exercise programs
speech therapy
Pharmacological Treatments
- drugs that increase dopamine response:
L-DOPA
Dopamine receptor agonists
MAO inhibitors
Levodopa (L-DOPA)
metabolite of the amino acid tyrosine
immediate precursor of DA in its metabolic pathway
L-DOPA can cross the blood-brain barrier, but DA cannot.
L-DOPA is extremely effective, compared to other DA agonists.
Side effects include motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, and unwanted movements (such as severe tics)
Other treatments are also aimed at increasing dopamine signaling in the brain.
- Dopamine receptor agonists bind to dopaminergic post-synaptic receptors in the brain, have similar effects to levodopa.
Bromocriptine, apomorphine
Side effects: impulse control disorders, such as compulsive sexual activity, compulsive eating, pathological shopping, and gambling
- Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors prevent breakdown of dopamine (ex. Selegeline)
Surgical Treatments
These treatments reduce rigidity and tremor.
Lesioning of the basal ganglia
Deep brain stimulation of the basal ganglia
Stem Cell Treatment
Stem cells can be used in a lab to generate many other types of cells, including dopamine cells. Introducing new dopamine cells into the brain may help replace lost cells in PD.
October 2019: In Kyoto, Dr. Takahashi and his staff completed the first transplant into a human brain. They plan to complete six additional operations by 2022.
They used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are derived from adult cells (usually from skin or blood) and can be manipulated to act like stem cells.
- In the US, Dr. Studer is about to move to clinical trials with dopamine cells derived from human embryonic stem cells.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive dementia disorder that is much more widespread than PD.
- Dementia is an acquired and persistent syndrome of intellectual impairment.
- Described in 1907 by Alois Alzheimer
- Due to aging population, cases of AD in United States are expected to increase.
- Alzheimer’s is preceded by mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
- While all cases of AD are precede by MCI, not all cases of MCI develop into AD.
- As MCI progresses to AD, the first symptom is general forgetfulness, leading to progressive loss of memory.
Diagnosis
Neurological symptoms
Imaging tests
Post-mortem examination of the brain
Early Symptoms
Memory loss that disrupts daily life
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
Challenges in planning or solving problems
Confusion with time or place
New problems with words in speaking or writing
Decreased or poor judgment
Withdrawal from work or social activities
Changes in mood and personality
Later Symptoms
Physiological problems: disrupted sleep, incontinence, and difficulty swallowing are seen
Psychiatric symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, depressed mood, and agitation (including violent outbursts)
Communication skills are diminished.
Advanced Stages
- Much of our sense of “self” comes from our memory and cognitive function, which is lost in those with advancing AD.
- AD will eventually take away completely the ability to use language, interact with or even recognize family and friends, or live independently.
- AD cannot be definitively diagnosed until after death. A histopathologic confirmation including a microscopic examination of brain tissue is required.
PET Scan with PiB compound
- Imaging of pathological A-beta protein with the help of Pittsburgh compound B can potentially help with diagnosis.
Etiology
Risk factors for AD include:
Advanced age
Family history of dementia or AD (1-5% genetic predisposition)
Obesity, untreated hypertension, high cholesterol, chronic stress, and sedentary lifestyle
Head trauma or hypoxic brain injury, depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD
Environmental toxins (ex. aluminum)
Slow-acting viral infection
Cortical Degeneration
- Most heavily affected areas are the entorhinal cortex, some parts of the frontal cortex, hippocampus, inferior temporal cortex, and posterior parietal cortex.
- The primary sensory and motor areas are spared, as well as most of the brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord.
- Cerebral atrophy may be due in large part to the loss of dendritic arborization.
- A significant loss of synapses (up to 45%) may be the basis for the cognitive deficits.
- Cellular pathologies and neuronal cell loss in AD are associated with pathological formations in the brain:
Amyloid plaques (located in the extracellular space, also found in aging brains)
Neurofibrillary tangles (located inside neurons)
Amyloid plaques = fibrous deposits around neuronal cells
- A plaque has a core of beta-amyloid protein surrounded by abnormal processes (dendrites or axons), with microglial cells or reactive astrocytes on the periphery.
- Molecules of beta-amyloid protein (or A-beta) are pathologically misfolded and tend to aggregate.
- Protein misfolding is a pathology common for many diseases (e.g. Parkinson’s).
Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) = fibrous inclusions in neuron cytoplasm.
- Pyramidal neurons are particularly susceptible.
- The misfolded tau protein is the main component. Tau protein maintains the stability of axonal microtubules.
Treatments
- Currently, there are no available treatments that stop or reverse the progression of the disease, only treatments that help the symptoms.
(A) Behavioral/Lifestyle:
Mental stimulation
Physical exercise
Balanced diet
(B) Pharmacological:
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors increase amount of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft (Donepezil, tacrine, galantamine).
- NMDA receptor inhibitor (Memantine)
(C) Very New/Future Treatments
- Aducanumab (brand name Aduhelm)
cleared by the FDA on June 7, 2021
developed by biotech company Biogen in Cambridge, Mass
antibody therapy that targets amyloid plaques
first approved drug that treats a cause of the neurodegenerative disease, rather than just the symptoms
- Antibodies to A-beta
currently in clinical trials
Solanezumab is a monoclonal antibody being investigated by Eli Lilly as a neuroprotector for patients with AD. It failed in patients with moderate AD, but the trial for patients with mild AD (should have been) finalized in 2020. {note: if you know whether these trials were finalized, delayed, or terminated, let me know in the comments!}
- Drugs that block enzyme responsible for production of A-beta
September 2019: companies Biogen and Eisai announced termination of Phase 3 trial of Elenbecestat, another failure :(
- Antibodies to tau
currently in animal studies (preclinical phase)
Antibodies could decrease levels of phosphorylated tau proteins in mouse brains.
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