Center for Parkinson Disease & Other Movement Disorders CUMC NINY


Classification of Movement Disorders

Movement Disorders can be defined as neurological syndromes in which there is either 1) an excess of movement or 2) a paucity of movement, unrelated to weakness or spasticity. The former are commonly referred to as hyperkinesias (excessive movements), dyskinesias (unnatural movement), and abnormal involuntary movements. On the other hand, the paucity of movement group can be referred to as hypokinesia (decreased amplitude of movement), bradykinesia (slowness of movement), or akinesia (loss of movement). The parkinsonian syndromes are the most common cause of such paucity of movement; other types of hypokinetic disorders affect only a small group of patients.

Glossary


Common Disorders



I. HYPOKINESIAS =

decreased range, slowness, loss of movement
Cortical Basal Ganglionic Degeneration (CBGD)
Lewy-Body Disease
Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy (OPCA)
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinsonism/Parkinson-Plus Syndromes
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
Shy-Drager Syndrome
Stiff Person Syndrome

The most common hypokinetic movement disorder is Parkinson's disease. Less common are PSP, MSA and other still rarer "Parkinson-Plus" syndromes.

II. HYPERKINESIAS =

extra, excessive movements
Ataxia
Blepharospasm
Chorea
Dystonia
Hemifacial Spasm
Huntington's Disease
Myoclonus
Restless Legs Syndrome
Sydenham's Chorea
Tardive Dyskinesia / Tardive Dystonia
Tics
Torticollis
Tourette Syndrome
Tremor
Wilson's Disease
Writer's Cramp and Musician's Cramp

Common hyperkinetic movement disorders include restless legs, essential tremor, Tourette syndrome and dystonia. Less common are hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, the ataxias and Huntington's disease.


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Updated April 1, 2008Comments