„Silent event-related“ fMRI reveals sensorimotor dysfunction in laryngeal dystonia

Background: Laryngeal dystonia (LD) represents a focal dystonia localized in the larynx. Previous functional imaging work showed a dysorganization of sensorimotor cortices in other focal dystonias, idiopathic torsion dystonia and acquired dystonia. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we aimed at studying the pattern of sensorimotor activation in patients with LD and its modulation by local treatment with botulinum toxin (BTX). Methods: We included 12 patients with adductor LD and 12 healthy volunteers. Patients were scanned before (pre) and after (post) treatment with local injections of BTX. We s…