Rhythmic cortical myoclonus in Niemann-Pick disease type C

Abstract

We here describe a patient with late-infantile Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) presenting with worsening myoclonus, seizures, cerebellar symptoms, mild mental impairment, and gaze palsy. Electroencephalographic (EEG) -polymyographic examinations showed abnormally high and diffuse background alpha-activity, enhanced by intermittent photic stimulation. The electromyographic (EMG) showed quasirhythmic myoclonic jerks during motor activation. EEG-EMG frequency analysis (better than jerk-locked back-averaging) demonstrated the cortical origin of the myoclonus. Our observations indicate that cortical myoclonus may occur as the main symptom of NPC.