Long-term motor learning in focal hand dystonia

Ejaz A Shamim; Min Seung Kim; Suk Yun Kang; Prachaya Srivanitchapoom; Seung-Hyun Jin; Elise Houdayer; Pierre Diomi; Nivethida Thirugnanasambandam; Sahana N Kukke; Masao Matsuhashi; Jean-Charles Lamy; Tianxia Wu; Sabine Meunier; Mark Hallett

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2024.09.024

Long-term motor learning in focal hand dystonia

Clin Neurophysiol. 2024 Oct 9:168:63-71. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.09.024. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Neurology, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do 18450, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Neurology, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do 18450, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
⁵ MediRita, Inc., 37, Maebongsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 03909, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Experimental Neurophysiology Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology (INSPE), San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan 30132, Italy.
⁷ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Valley Patient Care-Urgent Care Center, 10076 Dumfries Rd, #80A, Manassas, VA 20110, United States.
⁸ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
⁹ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; The Office of Strategic Coordination, The Common Fund, Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Paris 75013, France.
¹² Clinical Neurosciences Program, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹³ Human Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39490029
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.09.024

Abstract

Objective: Because focal hand dystonia usually occurs in the over-learned stage, it would be valuable to know long-term motor learning characteristics and underlying pathophysiological features that might predispose to dystonia.

Methods: We conducted a case-control exploratory study of 15 visits over 12 weeks in the non-affected hand of a 4-finger sequence of 8 key presses in eight patients with FHD compared with eight age- and sex-matched, healthy volunteers (HVs). We studied the behavioral data and the physiological changes of the brain, including motor cortical excitability and cortical oscillations.

Results: There was no significant difference in the time to reach 100 % accuracy between FHD and HV during the 80-day follow-up period. There was a statistically significant difference in the accuracy of sequential finger movement tasks between patients with FHD compared with HVs over 12 weeks, but post-hoc analysis with multiple comparion correction did not show difference. There were no significant differences in recruitment curve changes and task-related power changes of alpha and beta bands.

Conclusion: Over 12 weeks, FHD have motor learning capacity comparable to HVs and do not show pathophysiological abnormalities.

Significance: Further studies would be valuable with more patients, more extended periods of practice, and more detailed electrophysiological explorations.

Keywords: Electroencephalography; Focal hand dystonia; Long-term; Motor learning; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Writer’s cramp.