The long-term consequences of neonatal noxious stimulation on adulthood pain behavior were investigated in male and female mice. On the day of birth, mouse pups were exposed to a laparotomy under cold anesthesia followed by an analgesic dose of morphine (10 mg/kg) post-operatively, or a saline control. An additional group of subjects was exposed to the non-noxious aspects of the surgical procedure (cold exposure, separation from the dam, injection) comprising a 'sham' surgery control group, whereas another group of control subjects was administered an injection of saline or morphine, but was otherwise undisturbed. Behavioral observations of the pups immediately following the procedure indicated that the laparotomy produced increased distress vocalizations in the ultrasonic range (40 kHz) compared to both groups of control subjects. During 90 min observations periods following the surgery and 1-week later, maternal care did not vary among treatment conditions. In adulthood, offspring were tested for nociceptive sensitivity on the hot-plate (HP; 53 degrees C), tail-withdrawal (TW; 50 degrees C) and acetic acid abdominal constriction test (AC). On both the TW and the AC tests, neonatal surgery decreased pain behavior relative to both groups of control subjects, an effect that was reversed by post-operative morphine treatment. On the HP test, both groups of subjects exposed to the stressful aspects of neonatal surgery (laparotomy or sham surgery) exhibited decreased pain behavior in adulthood. These findings suggest that early exposure to noxious and/or stressful stimuli may induce long-lasting changes in pain behavior, perhaps mediated by alterations in the stress-axis and antinociceptive circuitry.

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The increasing amount of information delineating the descriptions of movement disorders emergencies provides means for more effective prevention, identification, and management for the nonspecialist. Although the commonest of these syndromes eventually have a good outcome, serious conditions such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome and status dystonicus may induce substantial rates of morbidity and mortality. This review re-emphasizes the need for their prompt identification and management.

Objective:To assess the clinical manifestations and predictors of different types of tremors in a individuals with different types of isolated dystonia.Methods:Clinical manifestations of tremor were assessed in a multicenter, international cross-sectional, cohort study of 2362 individuals with all types of isolated dystonia (focal, segmental, multifocal and generalized) recruited through the Dystonia Coalition.Results:Methodical and standardized assessments of all subjects in this cohort revealed the overall prevalence of any type of tremor was 53.3%. The prevalence of dystonic tremor varied from 36.9-48.4%, depending on criteria used to define it. To identify the factors associated with tremors in dystonia, the data were analyzed by generalized linear modeling and cluster analyses. Generalized linear modeling indicated two of the strongest factors associated with tremor included body region affected by dystonia and recruitment center. Tremor was also associated with severity of dystonia and duration of dystonia, but not with sex or race. The cluster analysis distinguished eight subgroups within the whole cohort; defined largely by body region affected with dystonia, and secondarily by other clinical characteristics.Conclusion:The large number of cases evaluated by an international team of movement disorder experts facilitated the dissection of several important factors that influence the apparent prevalence and phenomenology of tremor in dystonia. These results are valuable for understanding the many differences reported in prior studies, and for guiding future studies of the nosology of tremor and dystonia.

Blepharospasm (BL) is characterized by involuntary closures of the eyelids due to spasms of the orbicularis oculi muscle. The gold standard for clinical evaluation of BL involves visual inspection for manual rating scales. This approach is highly subjective and error prone. Unfortunately, there are currently no simple quantitative systems for accurate and objective diagnostics of BL. Here, we introduce a soft, flexible hybrid bioelectronic system that offers highly conformal, gentle lamination on the skin, while enabling wireless, quantitative detection of electrophysiological signals. Computational and experimental studies of soft materials and flexible mechanics provide a