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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffMyoclonus refers to a quick, involuntary muscle jerk. For example, hiccups are a form of myoclonus. So are the sudden jerks, or "sleep starts," you may experience just before falling asleep. These forms of myoclonus occur in healthy people and rarely present a problem.
Most often, you hear of myoclonus as a symptom of a nervous system disorder, such as epilepsy, or of a metabolic condition, or as a reaction to a medication.
Ideally, treating the underlying cause will help control your myoclonus symptoms. If the cause of myoclonus is unexplained or can't be specifically treated, then treatment focuses on reducing the effects of myoclonus on your quality of life.
- Caviness JN. Classification and evaluation of myoclonus. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed April 27, 2010.
- Jankovic J, et al. Movement disorders: Diagnosis and assessment. In: Bradley WG, et al. Neurology in clinical practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Butterworth-Heinemann/Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50026-1--cesec27&uniq=196879356&isbn=978-0-7506-7525-3&sid=987314823. Accessed April 22, 2010.
- Myoclonus fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myoclonus/detail_myoclonus.htm. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- Caviness JN. Treatment of myoclonus. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed April 20, 2010.
- Caviness JM. Classification and evaluation of myoclonus. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed June 23, 2010.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed April 22, 2010.
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