Dyskinesia Health Article

Stereotypies

Sterotypies are movements that are frequent and may last for minutes. These movements are repetitive and identical (continuous stereotypy.) The bizarre movements associated with mental retardation, autism, and schizophrenia are stereotypies. Continuous stereotypy is characteristic of another type of dyskinesia called tardive dyskinesia, which results from treatment with neuroleptic and antipsychotic medications.

Tardive dyskinesia

Tardive (late-onset) dyskinesia refers to a group of movement disorders that are characterized by hyperkinetic involuntary movements, consisting of mixed manifestations of orofacial dyskinesia, chorea, tics, and/or athetosis. Abnormal movement can affect muscles in the lips, face, trunk, tongue, and extremities, which can interfere with eating and dexterity. The most characteristic symptom of tardive dyskinesia is orofacial dyskinesia, which usually starts with slow, mild tongue movements followed by exaggerated movements of lips and tongue. Affected individuals can have symptoms that may progress to chewing movements, blinking, bulging cheeks, grimacing, arching eyebrows, and blepharospasms.

Tardive dyskinesias are commonly seen in patients taking certain medications such as neuroleptics and antipsychotic medication that are prescribed for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder. Other types of tardive dyskinesias include tardive akathisia, tardive dystonia, tardive myoclonus, tardive Tourettism, tardive tremor, and blepharospasm. Approximately 50% of patients taking dopamine receptor blocker medication will develop a form of tardive dyskinesia.

Tardive akathisia refers tapping, squirming, and marching movements that are repetitive. Movements associated with tardive dystonia can include a fixed posturing of face and neck, trunk, and extremities. Persons affected with tardive myoclonus, which is a rare disorder, exhibit brief jerky movements of muscles in the face, neck, trunk, arms, and legs. Symptoms of tardive Tourettism usually begins in persons older than 21 years of age and include frequent, multiple tics that are both vocal and motor. This disorder should not be confused with Tourette syndrome, which commonly presents by seven years of age.

Tardive tremors often present as involuntary rhythmical, wave-like, and persistent movements of the head, neck, limbs, or voice. Tardive tremors are present both at rest and during voluntary movement.