Year: 2021
Type: review
Abstract: Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing abnormal postures, repetitive movements, or both. Research in dystonia has been challenged by several factors. First, dystonia is uncommon. Dystonia is not a single disorder but a family of heterogenous disorders with varied clinical manifestations and different causes. The different subtypes may be seen by providers in different clinical specialties including neurology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and others. These issues have made it difficult for any single center to recruit large numbers of subjects with specific types of dystonia for research studies in a timely manner. The Dystonia Coalition is a consortium of investigators that was established to address these challenges. Since 2009, the Dystonia Coalition has encouraged collaboration by engaging 56 sites across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Its emphasis on collaboration has facilitated establishment of international consensus for the definition and classification of all dystonias, diagnostic criteria for specific subtypes of dystonia, standardized evaluation strategies, development of clinimetrically sound measurement tools, and large multicenter studies that document the phenotypic heterogeneity and evolution of specific types of dystonia.
Source: Frontiers in Neurology
Authors: Gamze Kilic-Berkmen, Laura J. Wright, Joel S. Perlmutter, Cynthia Comella, Mark Hallett, Jan Teller, Sarah Pirio Richardson, David A. Peterson, Carlos Cruchaga, Codrin Lungu, H. A. Jinnah
Institutions: Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis, Rush University Medical Center, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, University of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, University of California San Diego
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,950
OpenAlex ID: W3155055887