Finger muscle control in children with dystonia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Childhood dystonia is a disorder that involves inappropriate muscle activation during attempts at voluntary movement. Few studies have investigated the muscle activity associated with dystonia in children, and none have done so in the hands.

Methods

In this study, we measured surface electromyographic activity in four intrinsic hand muscles while participants attempted to perform an isometric tracking task using one of the muscles.

Results

Children with dystonia had greater tracking error with the task-related muscle and greater overflow to non-task muscles. Both tracking error and overflow correlated with the Barry-Albright Dystonia scale of the respective upper limb. Overflow also decreased when participants received visual feedback of non-task muscle act

SUBMITTER: Young SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3119776 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature