Part of the reason I decided to study neurology was my fascination with the brain as “mission control” of the human body. Many of us forget that most events in our body, from the vaguest memory to muscle movement, begin with the brain. But the brain can be intimidating study material particularly for those who have not studied the body in the past. It is so complex that to discuss it is often overwhelming. It is the complexity, though, that is key to understanding how different areas of the brain affect different functions in the body.

Dystonia is defined as a neurological syndrome where the patient experiences muscle spasms that can cause involuntary movements, tremors, pain or abnormal posture. Many of you are well aware of the basal ganglia and know that they are structures deep in the brain that are involved in muscle movement. Did you know they are also involved in processing emotions? Many areas of the brain perform more than one function. Here, we will look beyond the basal ganglia to illustrate the interwoven aspects of the brain and how many areas can affect movement in everyday life. These topics and this anatomy will be new to many of you and it is not light reading, but I trust that the new insight you are about to gain will help explain the many secondary symptoms dystonia patients often experience. Equally important, you will learn how brain-based therapies, such as specific music, metronome timing exercises, visual stimulation, etc. can retrain the brain and help dystonia patients.