What is Myoclonus?
Involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles refers to a sudden Myoclonus. Myoclonus consists of a muscle twitch followed by relaxation in its simplest form. An example of this type of myoclonus is ‘A hiccup’. Other familiar examples of myoclonus are the jerks or “sleep starts” that some people experience while drifting off to sleep. In normal these simple forms of myoclonus occur, healthy persons and cause no difficulties. When more widespread, myoclonus may involve persistent, shock-like contractions in a group of muscles. In people with multiple sclerosis Myoclonic jerking may develop, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Myoclonic jerks commonly occur in persons with epilepsy, a disorder in which the electrical activity in the brain becomes disordered and leads to seizures.
