Dystonia: recent advances.
Dystonia may be primary or symptomatic. Most, if not all, primary torsion dystonias are genetic diseases and manifest as 'pure dystonia', without consistent biochemical or neuropathological changes. Symptomatic dystonias may be (a) secondary to drugs or other environmental factors, (b) part of a 'dystonia plus' syndrome or (c) part of several heredodegenerative diseases. In the last few years, there have been rapid advances in the genetic classification of primary torsion dystonia. The gene for one form (DYT1dystonia), particularly common in Ashkenazi Jews, has been isolated. In this review, I present a basic clinical overview of dystonia and focus on the recent advances in molecular genetics of primary torsion dystonia (PTD). Treatment of dystonia is a large subject, worthy of a review in itself, and is not covered here. Several of the paroxysmal movement disorders may manifest with dystonia, but these are usually considered separately, as I have done in this review. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
Thyagarajan
D
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia