Involuntary contractions of paralyzed muscles (spasms) commonly disrupt daily activities and rehabilitation after human spinal cord injury (SCI). Our aim was to examine the recruitment, firing rate modulation, and derecruitment of motor units that underlie spasms of thenar muscles after cervical SCI. Intramuscular electromyographic activity (EMG), surface EMG, and force were recorded during the...

In the days before widespread internet use, iPhones, and iPads, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology part II oral board examination provided a unique opportunity for examiners to meet, mingle, and network. Sometimes interesting collaborations developed. Such was the case in 1994 when we had the same hour off on Dr. Alan Percy’s child neurology team. We were discussing infantile spasms...

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of mental retardation. It is estimated that 5-13% of persons affected by DS have seizures. Infantile spasms are the most common type of seizures and usually are well controlled with steroids and antiepileptic drugs. We present 11 children at the age of 3 years and 4 months to 10 years and 7 months with DS and infantile spasms, treated at Child...

Adrenergic receptors modulate motoneuron excitability, sensory synaptic 1 transmission and muscle spasms after chronic spinal cord injury. 2 Rank MM, Murray KC, Stephens MJ, D’Amico J, Gorassini MA, and Bennett DJ 3 Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 4 5 6 Running Title: Adrenergic receptors modulate spasms. 7

Infantile spasms represent a seizure disorder with unique clinical and electroencephalographic (hypsarrhythmia) features and a poor prognosis including chronic intractable epilepsy and psychomotor retardation. The association of spasms and hypsarrhythmia, with or without mental retardation, defines West's syndrome. West's syndrome is not uncommon; the incidence is considered to be 0 16-0-42 per...

BACKGROUND Cancer-related bladder spasms may be a rare but severe symptom of bladder or metastatic cancer or its related treatments. Various treatments described in the literature include systemic medications, intravesical or epidural medications, or even sacral neurolectomies. OBJECTIVE We present 3 patients who have suffered from bladder spasm either from invasion of the bladder wall by tum...

Vigabatrin was approved for the treatment of infantile spasms by the US Food and Drug Administration, but not in Japan at the time of initiating this clinical study because of concerns about irreversible peripheral visual field defects (VFDs). This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of vigabatrin for Japanese patients with infantile spasms. Of 15 patients (aged ≥4weeks and <2years) enrolle...

Two patients are presented with muscle spasms in an amputation stump. Neither patient experienced neuropathic pain nor phantom sensations, though phantom sensory phenomena, severe pain, and lack of response to treatment is characteristic of reported cases. One patient, a 75 year old man, has had myoclonic activity of the stump for more than two years, and the other, a 79 year old woman, recover...

A male patient presents with urinary incontinence worsening in the last year, shock sensation, symmetrical weakness and involuntary spasms lower limbs. He currently required double support to ambulate had no sphincter control. Neurological examination demonstrated limb hypertonia spastic paraplegia severe impairment of deep sensation painful muscle spasms. The normal body mass index laboratory ...

Coronary artery spasm, marked by coronary vasoconstriction, is one of the etiologies myocardial ischemia, often presenting as vasospastic angina. Vasospastic angina diagnosed when which predominantly occurs at rest, accompanied ST-segment changes in ECG, or setting borderline ECG changes, a positive provocation test through angiography required. Although spasms could manifest wide clinical sett...