EEG and EMG Studies of Hand Dystonia

This study will examine how the brain operates during execution and control of voluntary movement and what goes wrong with these processes in disease. It will use electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) to compare brain function in normal subjects and in patients with focal hand dystonia. In dystonia, involuntary muscle movements, or spasms, cause uncontrolled twisting and repetitive movement or abnormal postures. Focal dystonia involves just one region of the body, such as the hand, neck or face.

EEG measures the electrical activity of the brain. The activity is recorded using wire electrodes attached to the scalp or mounted on a Lycra cap placed on the head. EMG measures electrical activity from muscles. It uses wire electrodes placed on the skin over the muscles.

Adult healthy normal volunteers and patients with focal hand dystonia may be eligible for this study. Patients will be selected from NINDS's dystonia patient database.

Participants will sit in a semi-reclining chair in a darkened room and be asked to move either their right index finger, right foot, or the angle of their mouth on the right side at a rate of one movement every 10 seconds. Brain and muscle activity will be measured during this task with EEG and EMG recordings.

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Key information

Conditions

Focal Dystonia Behavior Central Nervous System Diseases Dyskinesias Dystonia Dystonia, Focal, Task-Specific Dystonic Disorders Inhibition, Psychological Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

About this study

Objective

To find and quantify EEG/MEG correlates of cortical center-surround organization and intracortical inhibition.
To compare these between healthy volunteers and focal hand dystonia (FHD) patients.

Study Population

Healthy volunteers and FHD patients.

Design

The study has two separate arms aiming to examine the same question. In the first one subjects perform a 4-choice contingence negative variation (CNT) type motor task while multi-channel EEG and EMG are recorded. In the second arm somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) or fields (SEFs) are recorded to median nerve stimulation.

Outcome Measures

First arm: EEG band-power difference between "center" and "surround". Second arm: number, amplitude, and power of high frequency oscillations (HFOs) component of SEPs/SEFs.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

The study population will consist of (a) healthy volunteers; and (b) patients with focal hand dystonia.

Healthy subjects: Healthy volunteers who consented to participate in the study.

Patients diagnosed with focal hand dystonia: unilateral focal hand dystonia from our dystonia patient database who consented to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Healthy subjects: abnormal neurological exam or history of past neurological disease.

Dystonia patients: the presence of a second neurological disease or condition; abnormal neurological findings on exam that are not related to their focal hand dystonia.

For MRI studies, patients with metallic implants will be excluded to remove potential risks from this procedure.

For MRI purposes, women who are pregnant are excluded from this part of the protocol. Therefore, all women of childbearing potential will have a pregnancy test performed prior to prospective MRI studies, which must be negative, before proceeding.

For TMS studies, healthy volunteers or focal hand dystonia patients who have a pacemaker, an implanted medical pump, a metal plate or metal object in the skull or eye (for example, after brain surgery), or who have a history of seizure disorder will be excluded from the trial.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Nih

Registry information

Official study title

EEG Study of Movement-Related Center-Surround Organization in Hand Dystonia

Important dates

Study start: 2001
Study completion: 2010
First posted: Oct 12, 2001
Registry last updated: Jul 2, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

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