Blepharospasm and torticollis spasmodicus: is focal dystonia associated with a general deficit of sensorimotor integration?

Current concepts of focal dystonia suggest a generalized deficit of sensorimotor integration. If such a concept holds true, impaired central processing of sensory information should be evident for a wide range of movements and not limited to the affected body part in focal dystonia. Reaching for and grasping an object depends on accurate processing and integration of visual and somatosensory information related to intrinsic object properties. We investigated sensorimotor integration during the performance of reach-to-grasp movements in subjects with blepharospasm and torticollis. The kinematics of hand transport…