Myoclonus occurs in 75% of patients with “early onset” Alzheimer’s disease – can affect the hands
Dementia worsens as nerve cells in the brain gradually become damaged and can no longer function. Over time, this can compromise a person’s thinking ability and motor skills. This is why some patients begin to develop a special type of myoclonus known as pill-rolling tremor.
The most obvious cause of physiological tremor is caffeine and other stimulants that increase blood flow.
Patients with Parkinson’s disease often have a pill-rolling tremor, but other neurological causes may include dementia with Lewy bodies.
A resting tremor is called a pill-rolling tremor because it looks like a person is rolling a pill or other small object between their thumb and forefinger.
When a tremor occurs, it reflects problems in the part of the brain that controls movement, known as the basal ganglia.
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This area, located deep in the brain, includes several structures located in the thalamus.
In Parkinson’s disease, this brain structure does not receive enough dopamine to form bonds between euros.
This leads to interruption of communication within the brain, which causes the movements to occur not so smoothly.
In 2015, a report published in the journal Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements suggested that myoclonus may be “a common clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease.”
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The report cites a study in which eight percent of Alzheimer’s patients had a myoclonic variant characterized by presenile onset with severe cognitive impairment, mutism, and early onset myoclonus.
The report states: “Myoclonus is more common in early and rapidly progressive Alzheimer’s disease, where its prevalence can be as high as 75 percent.”
Myoclonus describes a sudden, brief, voluntary twitching or twitching of a muscle or group of muscles.
A twitching general cannot be stopped or controlled by a human.
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It is generally not diagnosed as a disease itself, but rather describes the clinical features of the underlying condition.
In 2011, a noteworthy observation was made about myoclonus in patients with dementia in a report published in the journal Neurology.
The report notes: “Most movement symptoms are frequent and rapidly progressive in Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Tremor is an exception in the sense that it occurs less frequently and progresses more slowly,” the report says.
Other motor symptoms of dementia include slow movement, reduced body tone, and impaired gait.
Some of these symptoms may even develop “before cognitive decline,” according to Science Direct.
The health authority says fine motor skills are more common in moderate to severe dementia.
In other words, people with severe dementia are more likely to suffer from an inability to perform tasks that require a certain degree of manual dexterity.
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