Occupational and musicians’ dystonia - disabling muscle spasms in the hand

Location: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience & Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.
Amount: £118,177
Status: Research completed
Start Date: 1st April 2004
Finish Date: 31st March 2006
Grantholder: Professor J C Rothwell, MA, PhD and Dr K Rosenkranz.
Research worker: Dr K Rosenkranz

Professionals who make their living through their skill in performing certain types of movement can suffer from involuntary muscle spasms of the hand. This condition, occupational dystonia, also affects 5-10% of professional musicians. The resulting lack of control can have catastrophic consequences for the patients’ career.The brain has an amazing ability to adapt to special challenges or needs. The musician’s brain is a good model, showing an increased density of grey matter in certain areas of the brain as a consequence of a life-long training process. When pushed too far, this "overspecialisation" may come at a cost with loss of fine finger coordination and muscle cramps. This team will use the brain´s own adaptive ability to try to restore brain function. With specific sensory discrimination training, they aim to re-educate the brain to link the right sensory information with the appropriate movement command. This research could provide a new treatment for occupational and musician’s dystonia.

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