And cervical dystonia of the neck is often misdiagnosed as a pinched nerve. Nor will it correct the recently identified genetic flaws in the DYT1 gene associated with early-onset torsion dystonia. But accurate diagnosis and a careful treatment plan can dramatically improve the quality of life. Physician-scientists in the Movement Disorders Program of Department of Neurology lead one of the region's most active centers for treating and studying dystonia. Two patients at Emory are among the first in the world to receive deep-brain stimulation for dystonia.
Physicians can end or reverse treatment, or adjust stimulation frequencies for patients as needed.
Initial outcomes look good in the first few dystonia patients to undergo another type of surgery for the disorder. Emory neurologists use the microelectrode brain-mapping procedure originally pioneered by them for Parkinson's disease to identify those few brain cells associated with dystonia. Neurology chair Mahlon DeLong and colleague Jerrold Vitek are guided by the electrical charges of single nerve cells as they pinpoint troublesome cells in the pallidum for neurosurgeon Roy Bakay to remove. The team uses this same procedure to target cells within the brain's thalamus. Botulinum toxin weakens a muscle enough to reduce a spasm but doesn't cause paralysis.