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Task-specific dystonias: historical review—a new look at the classics

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Abstract

Although task-specific dystonias (TSD) have been described for almost two centuries, few entities have been characterised so variously as TSD. Over time TSD have been described as pure motor phenomena, “neurasthenic” symptoms, occupational hazards akin to repetitive strain, hysterical symptoms and finally… back to pure motor phenomena. A review of the classic literature can shed light on this subject and show that the same disease can be classified of different ways according to the dominant contemporary concepts over time. In any case, classic authors already defined TSD as motor phenomena of central origin.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Mr. Oliver Shaw for his advice on aspects of English language style.

Conflicts of interest

No conflict of interest is reported.

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All human studies must state that they have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, Avda Reyes Catolicos 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Pedro J. Garcia-Ruiz

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  1. Pedro J. Garcia-Ruiz
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Correspondence to Pedro J. Garcia-Ruiz.

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Garcia-Ruiz, P.J. Task-specific dystonias: historical review—a new look at the classics. J Neurol 260, 750–753 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6696-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6696-y

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