The nation's leading supporter of biomedical research on disorders of the brain and nervous system. Ramsay Hunt syndrome type II, also called dyssynergia cerebellaris myoclonica, refers to a collection of rare, degenerative, neurological disorders characterized by epilepsy, cognitive impairment, myoclonus, and progressive ataxia. Symptoms include seizures, tremor, and reduced muscle coordination. Onset of the disorder generally occurs in early adulthood. Tremor may begin in one extremity and later spread to involve the entire voluntary muscular system.
Arms are usually more affected than legs.
Some of the cases are due to mitochondrial abnormalities. Treatment of Ramsay Hunt type II is symptomatic. Myoclonus and seizures may be treated with the drug valproate. The progression of the disorder is usually 10 years or longer. The goals of this research are to find ways to prevent, treat, and cure these disorders.