Journal of Movement Disorders

Brief communications

Quantification of Loudness Instability in Tone Production in Embouchure Dystonia: André Lee, Tobias Mantel, Shinichi Furuya, Masanori Morise, Eckart Altenmüller, Bernhard Haslinger; Received September 3, 2025 Accepted December 22, 2025 Published online December 24, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14802/jmd.25235 [Epub ahead of print]

577 View
24 Download

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material: Embouchure dystonia (ED) is a task-specific disorder of voluntary fine motor control that severely affects musicians’ ability to perform tasks. One critical skill for professional musicians is the ability to produce sustained notes with consistent loudness; however, this ability has not been well defined in musicians with ED. The present study, therefore, compared the time-varying dynamics of loudness in musicians with ED with those in healthy musicians, as well as their relationship with the variability of the fundamental frequency (F0), by performing a sound analysis of sustained notes. The findings revealed significantly greater variability with respect to both loudness and F0 among ED patients. Furthermore, loudness and F0 variability were strongly correlated, suggesting a shared pathological basis. We conclude that F0 variability and loudness instability are reliable measures for objectively characterizing ED and assisting accurate diagnosis. The incorporation of quantitative acoustic tools into future diagnostic and therapeutic frameworks has the potential to increase the objectivity and reproducibility of ED assessment.

The Role of Handedness and Extrainstrumental Burdens on the Course of Musicians’ Dystonia: Johanna Doll-Lee, Edoardo Passarotto, Eckart Altenmüller, André Lee; J Mov Disord. 2025;18(4):355-359. Published online June 15, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14802/jmd.25064

3,423 View
58 Download
1 Crossref

Objective
This study investigated the impact of extrainstrumental workload on musician’s dystonia (MD) and its relationship with playing ability by testing whether dystonia onset is more severe in the dominant hand and whether improvement during treatment depends on which hand is affected, the dominant or nondominant.
Methods
A total of 151 patients with dominant-hand MD and 92 with nondominant hand MD were assessed for their ability to play at dystonia onset (T0) and after treatment (T1).
Results
There was no significant difference in playing ability at onset between the groups. Significant improvement and a greater change in playing ability were observed in the dominant-hand group. We found no difference in the proportional frequency of right-handed and left-handed individuals in the group of patients affected on the right or left side, respectively.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that handedness does not influence MD localization, but the prognosis is more favorable for those with dominant hand dystonia, potentially due to metaplasticity effects.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Aufgabenspezifische Dystonie und Tremor: Therapeutische Konzepte für neurologische Ausfälle bei Musikern
Johanna Doll-Lee, Till-Alexander Plinkert, André Lee
Deutsches Ärzteblatt Online.2025;[Epub] CrossRef

Efficacy and Safety of Zolpidem for Musician’s Dystonia: Shiro Horisawa, Kilsoo Kim, Masato Murakami, Masahiko Nishitani, Takakazu Kawamata, Takaomi Taira; J Mov Disord. 2024;17(4):425-429. Published online July 1, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14802/jmd.24121

4,995 View
127 Download
2 Web of Science
3 Crossref

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Objective
The efficacy and safety of zolpidem for treating musician’s dystonia are not well understood. We aimed to retrospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of zolpidem for treating musician’s dystonia.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed medical records between January 2021 and December 2023 to identify patients with musician’s dystonia who had been prescribed zolpidem. Tubiana’s Musician’s Dystonia Rating Scale (range, 1–5; lower scores indicating greater severity) was used to evaluate musician’s dystonia.
Results
Fifteen patients were included in this study. The mean effective dose of zolpidem was 5.3 ± 2.0 mg. The mean effective duration of zolpidem was 4.3 ± 1.2 h. With zolpidem administration, Tubiana’s musician’s dystonia rating scale score significantly improved from 2.2 ± 1.0 to 4.3 ± 0.8 (48.9% improvement, p < 0.001). Two patients (13.3%) discontinued the drug owing to unsatisfactory results or sleepiness.
Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that zolpidem may be an alternative treatment option for musician’s dystonia.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Deep Phenotyping of Musicians’ Upper Limb Dystonia
Steven J. Frucht
Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements.2025; 15: 31. CrossRef
The Treatment of Runner’s Dystonia With Zolpidem and a Device Inducing Hanger Reflex
Takashi Asahi, Shiro Horisawa, Takuto Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kajimoto, Ichiro Takumi
Cureus.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Sleep-Related Eating Disorder and Sexsomnia; Two Rare Parasomnias? A Mini-Review with Illustrative Case-Reports
Gábor Barcs, József Janszky, Mengesha Srahbzu, Réka Horváth, Vivian Miranda Correa, Anna Szűcs
International Journal of Sexual Health.2025; 37(4): 711. CrossRef

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search