Preface

This book came about when it became clear that a work on unusual movements or unusual causes of disorders of motor control was lacking, especially for neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatric specialists and physicians in training. Most available books are almost exclusively for movement disorders specialists; or the information related to these conditions is found scattered throughout the literature. In addition, many aspects related to movement disorders such as neuro-ophthalmologic problems, demyelinating diseases, neuromuscular disorders, gait and balance difficulties and the boundaries of epilepsy and neuropsychiatric diseases are beginning to be recognized as important in the field but are poorly discussed in most textbooks. We cover these areas extensively in this book. Along with our publishers we hope this work can begin to fill the gap. The book follows a sequence beginning with akinetic rigid syndromes and followed by hyperkinetic and miscellaneous disorders. With advances in the field, the scope of movement disorders now includes disorders of gait and balance, cerebellar conditions, dementing disorders with “extrapyramidal” signs, disorders of sleep, and movement conditions that overlap neuromuscular diseases or epilepsy conditions. Examples of such include cramps, fatigue, weakness, twitchy muscles/fingers/extremities, nocturnal jerks and movements, hypermotor behaviors and disorders of sleep. The book features chapters on multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration written by the teams headed by Professors Gregor Wenning, Carlos Singer and David Riley, respectively, who have been pioneers in the understanding of these disorders.