Movement disorders of the face

Abstract

Movement disorders of the face are frequent; they can be hypokinetic or hyperkinetic, primary or secondary, and be manifestations of an isolated condition or part of a generalized disorder. Hypokinetic movements such as hypomimia are characteristic of parkinsonian syndromes, while facial hyperkinetic movements are very common in certain forms of dystonia, dyskinesias, chorea, myoclonus, tremor, tics, and psychogenic movement disorders. Since these topics are covered extensively in other parts of the text, this chapter focuses on the clinical characteristics of movement disorders (centering on primary etiologies) when they affect the facial muscles and covers other entities that fall into the differential diagnosis. Emphasis is made on phenomenology with careful description of clinical signs and distinguishing features that may aid the diagnosis.