How do they Differientiate between Epilepsy or Dystonia/Movement Disorder?

[niceguyVZ]

Using the EEG results or not....how do the Doctors differentiate between Epilepsy and Dystionia/movement disorder?

Cause some of these things can look alike. Like i hear eye twitching can be Seizure. Then how is that different from an eye Twitching that is not a seizure?

ANd also Body Twitches can be Dystonia or Even MS sometimes, or other thing yet Body Twitches can also be Seizures.

 

[Nakamova]

It's not always easy. An accurate diagnosis can be difficult because of the way movement disorders can resemble one another. The docs will try and make a diagnosis based on the exact nature of your symptoms as well as your health history.

For dystonia, they can do a test called an EMG, where they insert sensors into the muscles that are misbehaving. If it's dystonia, the test will show specific electrical pulses being sent to the muscles, even when they aren't in motion. In addition, dystonia tends to get worse if the person is fatigued, stressed, or cold -- so the doc would ask questions to see if this is the case with you.

For MS, there are some basic tests a neurologist can do in the office evaluating reflex reactions (like when they tap your shin with a mallet, or scrape the bottom of your foot). If the neurologist suspects MS, then an MRI is the next step. There are certain kinds of lesions associated with MS that an MRI will pick-up. The MRI is considered a very reliable to way to confirm a MS diagnosis.

As for eye twitching -- yes that can have many causes, everything from stress, to seizures, to medication side effects. In the case of a seizure, the eye twitching tends to occur as part of several symptoms rather than on it's own. As with other neurological disorders, the neurologist will look at symptoms in the greater context to try and make a diagnosis.

 

[N Sperlo]

I was diagnosed first with RBD, but later it was decided my nocturnal movements were epilepsy related.

The EEG was used to discover that when I was moving "in my sleep" my EEG read as if I were awake. Also, the movements I was making were so similar every time, my neurologist decided they could not be dreams, but likely a simple partial that was not read on the EEG.

This may not help in your case, but this is an example of a more extreme case.

 

[niceguyVZ]

So but what's the difference in the Electrical process that happens with Seizures vs The Electrical process that happens with Dystionia/Movement disorders etc?

Aren't they both Electrical things in the brain?

 

[N Sperlo]

I had done some research about correlations between RBD and epilepsy and found that there is a suspicious amount of people who have both. Often times, as a kid, I would wake up punching the wall.