Movement disorders

Abstract

This article focuses on the current knowledge about movement disorders associated with alcohol and drug abuse. Chronic alcohol use can produce a wide spectrum of movement disorders including tremor, withdrawal parkinsonism and dyskinesias, cerebellar ataxia, and asterixis. MPTP, a neurotoxin first reported to cause parkinsonism in a group of drug abusers, has provided important insights into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. There is a growing body of literature providing evidence that dyskinesias such as tics and dystonia may be precipitated or exacerbated by cocaine. Amphetamines have been implicated in the production of stereotypies and exacerbation of tics.