Network Localization of Pediatric Lesion-Induced Dystonia

Abstract

Objective: Dystonia is a movement disorder defined by involuntary muscle contractions leading to abnormal postures or twisting and repetitive movements. Classically dystonia has been thought of as a disorder of the basal ganglia, but newer results in idiopathic dystonia and lesion-induced dystonia in adults point to broader motor network dysfunction spanning the basal ganglia, cerebellum, premotor cortex, sensorimotor, and frontoparietal regions. It is unclear whether a similar network is shared between different etiologies of pediatric lesion-induced dystonia.

Methods: Three cohorts of pediatric patients with lesion-induced dystonia were identified. The lesion etiologies included hypoxia, kernicterus, and stroke versus comparison subjects with acquired lesions not associated with dystonia. Multivariate lesion-symptom mapping and lesion network mapping were used to evaluate the anatomy and networks associated with dystonia.

Results: Multivariate lesion-symptom mapping showed that lesions of the putamen and globus pallidus were associated with dystonia (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Lesion network mapping using normative connectome data from healthy children demonstrated that these regional findings occurred within a common brain-wide network that involves the basal ganglia, anterior and medial cerebellum, and cortical regions that overlap the cingulo-opercular action-mode and somato-cognitive-action networks.

Interpretation: We interpret these findings as novel evidence for a unified dystonia brain network that involves the somato-cognitive-action network, which is implicated in the coordination of movement. Elucidation of this network gives insight into the functional origins of dystonia and provides novel targets to investigate for therapeutic intervention. ANN NEUROL 2025;98:152-162.