Presenter
Padraig O’Suilleabhain, MD
Financial Relationship: Received an honorarium for this lecture
Nonfinancial Relationship: Volunteer member of Parkinson Voice Project’s Medical Advisory Board
Padraig O’Suilleabhain, MD is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas where he conducts research projects involving a number of neurological diseases including parkinsonism, Huntington disease, and dystonia, and also teaches students at multiple stages of training. Dr. O’Suilleabhain graduated from the University of Dublin, Trinity College and then completed his residency in neurology and his fellowship in movement disorders and clinical investigation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Lecture Description
Dystonia, a sustained contraction of any muscles resulting in the contortion of a body part, usually occurs as a result of abnormal activity in the basal ganglia circuitry of the brain. Limbs can draw inward, for example, and necks or trunks can pull sideways or forward. While a majority of people with dystonia do not necessarily have Parkinson’s, some do experience this symptom, as this is the circuitry characteristically affected by the disease. Watch this lecture to learn more about the nature of dystonia and how it is managed in people with Parkinson’s.