Structural Abnormalities of the Brain in Writer’s Cramp

Writer’s cramp is a task-specific focal dystonia of the hand. These authors used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of MR images to examine brain structures in 30 right-handed patients with unilateral writers’ cramp and in 30 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls.

The researchers found structural abnormalities in the sensorimotor cortex and cerebellum of the patients. Gray-matter density was decreased in the hand area of the left primary sensorimotor cortex, the bilateral thalamus, and the cerebellum.