Historical and More Common Nongenetic Movement Disorders From Asia

Abstract

Nongenetic movement disorders are common throughout the world. The movement disorders encountered may vary depending on the prevalence of certain disorders across various geographical regions. In this paper, we review historical and more common nongenetic movement disorders in Asia. The underlying causes of these movement disorders are diverse and include, among others, nutritional deficiencies, toxic and metabolic causes, and cultural Latah syndrome, contributed by geographical, economic, and cultural differences across Asia. The industrial revolution in Japan and Korea has led to diseases related to environmental toxin poisoning, such as Minamata disease and β-fluoroethyl acetate-associated cerebellar degeneration, respectively, while religious dietary restriction in the Indian subcontinent has led to infantile tremor syndrome related to vitamin B12 deficiency. In this review, we identify the salient features and key contributing factors in the development of these disorders.

Tremors in Infantile Tremor Syndrome Mimicking Epilepsia Partialis Continua

“…1 Tremors in ITS are coarse and jerky (myoclonus-like) and involve the facial, perioral, lingual, pharyngeal, and laryngeal muscles, and distal limbs. 1,5,6 For this movements, the term tremor-myoclonus has also been used. 4 Myoclonus has been reported in ITS and may worsen with vitamin B12 therapy.…”

“…1,4,7 In the index case, it appears that the patient has a combination of tremor with dystonia and myoclonus with predominant focal presentation.The onset of tremor is usually focal with intermittent nature and then rapidly progresses to a generalized involvement that may be asymmetrical and multifocal. 1,5,6 The tremors disappear during sleep but may be persistent at low intensity in severe cases. 1 The characteristic 'bleating of goat' sound during vocalization/crying is due to the tremulousnesscaused by the involvement of lingual, pharyngeal, and laryngeal muscles.…”

“…The disorder, including tremors and hyperpigmentation, responds dramatically to vitamin B12 therapy and nutritional rehabilitation. 1,6 The tremors usually start resolving in a duration of 1-2 weeks with complete disappearance in 3-4 weeks after treatment initiation, but resolution of the skin and hair changes may take months. 1 In conclusion, focal tremors in ITS can mimic epilepsia partialis continua.…”