title: Intermittent head drops: the differential spectrum.
abstract: Intermittent Head Drops are episodic head flexion movements that can occur in a number of conditions. Typically, the term has mainly been related to epileptic episodes, but the spectrum of clinical conditions associated with this feature is wide-ranging even if never discussed in detail. By searching the electronic database, we may find that apart from the epileptic conditions, Intermittent Head Drops have been in fact reported in the setting of movement disorders, sleep disorders and even internal medicine disorders, such as Sandifer syndrome. We render an in-depth description of this characteristic phenomenon in different diseases, describing the clinical clues and neurophysiological patterns that may help the clinician to distinguish between the different settings of occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Antelmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Plazzi
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tinuper
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balint
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Rocco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liguori
authors.affiliation: Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kailash P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Bhatia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000503:physiopathology; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014103:Torticollis / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: MOVEMENT DISORDERS; SLEEP