Athetosis: A Motor Disorder in Psychiatry

Athetosis refers to spastic involuntary movements that occur due to some type of brain injury or illness - this damaged area is referred to as a lesion. Athetosis is characterized by repetitive, slow, writhing movements, most often affecting the arms or hands; however, the legs, feet, torso, or neck may also be affected.

Causes of Athetosis:

Athetosis isn't a medical condition in itself; rather, it's usually the symptom of another neurological disorder. The most common underlying cause is damage to the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is the region of brain responsible for coordinating movement and is involved in making movements smooth rather than jerky.

There are actually quite a few different neurological conditions that can cause athetosis, including:

• Cerebral palsy
• Brain tumor
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Huntington's disease
• Wilson's disease
• Rett syndrome
• Trauma to the brain
• Stroke

In some cases, athetosis may occur with other movement disorders, like chorea. Involuntary movements indicative to chorea are faster and more abrupt than those experienced in athetosis; however, when both conditions are present, it's called choreoathetosis.

Symptoms:

Athetosis usually affects the hands and feet. The slow writhing movements often alternate with holding parts of the limbs in certain positions (postures) to produce a continuous, flowing stream of movement.

When chorea and athetosis occur together, the movements are writhing, dancelike, and slower than in chorea but faster than in athetosis.

Treatment for Athetosis:

Treatment for athetosis consists of different approaches, which include drugs, surgery and re-training the movements of the patient. Re-training and re-learning movements is beneficial in some patients. It is very important to diagnose and treat Athetosis as early as possible to prevent worsening of this condition.