Chemical changes in the brain may be associated with unexplained motor symptoms

A new study finds that people who have movement problems, symptoms that cannot be explained by an underlying disease, may have chemical changes in specific areas of the brain. The study is published in the online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These symptoms, which include tremors, muscle contractions or problems with walking, are called functional or psychogenic motor symptoms.

"These results bring new perspectives to the problem of functional motor symptoms, which have mainly been considered psychological problems," said study author Alberto Priori, MD, PhD, of the "Aldo Ravelli" Research Center at the University of Milan in Italy. "These findings suggest that these abnormal chemical changes in the brain could play a key role in functional motor symptoms, ultimately leading to the abnormal movements."

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