Diagnosis and treatment of functional myoclonus

Abstract

Functional myoclonus is a group of paroxysmal abnormal movements, which is one of the common types of functional movement disorder (FMD). The clinical characteristics include sudden occurrence and sudden arrest, inconsistent symptoms, distraction, entrainment, and placebo or suggestion therapy is effective. Long burst duration, variable muscle recruitment pattern and relatively characteristic bereitschafts potential (BP) can be seen in neuroelectrophysiological examination. The diagnosis is mainly based on the positive clinical symptoms and electrophysiological examination results. At present, there is no unified guideline for treatment, which recommends psychotherapy, physical therapy and multidisciplinary cooperation. This article reviews the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of functional myoclonus, in order to help clinical early accurate diagnosis, timely treatment, and improve patient prognosis.

DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2023.11.011