Cerebellar and Basal Ganglia Disorders

Asthenia

Generalized muscle weakness

Asynergia

Loss of ability to associate muscles together for complex movements

Delayed reaction time

Increased time required to initiate voluntary movement

Dysarthria

Disorder of the motor component of speech articulation

Dysdiadochokinesia

Impaired ability to perform rapid alternating movements

Dysmetria

Inability to judge the distance or range of a movement

Dyssynergia

Movement performed in a sequence of component parts rather than as a single, smooth activity; decomposition

Gait disorders

Ataxic pattern; broad base of support; postural instability; high-guard position of UEs

Hypotonia

Decrease in muscle tone

Hypermetria

Overestimation of distance or range needed to accomplish a movement

Hypometria

Underestimation of distance or range needed to accomplish a movement

Nystagmus

Rhythmic, quick, oscillatory, back-and-forth movement of the eyes

Rebound phenomenon

Inability to halt forceful movements after resistive stimulus removed; patient unable to stop sudden limb motion

Tremor

Involuntary oscillatory movement resulting from alternate contractions of opposing muscle groups

Intention (kinetic) tremor

Oscillatory movement during voluntary motion; increases as the limb nears target; diminished or absent at rest

Postural (static) tremor

Exaggerated oscillatory movement of the body in standing posture or of a limb held against gravity

Titubation

Rhythmic oscillations of the head; axial involvement of the trunk

Basal Ganglia Pathology - Akinesia

Inability to initiate movement; associated with fixed postures Athetosis

Bradykinesia

Decreased amplitude and velocity of voluntary movement

Chorea

Involuntary, rapid, irregular, jerky movements involving multiple joints; most apparent in UEs

Choreoathetosis

Movement disorder with features of both chorea and athetosis

Dystonia (Dystonic movement)

Sustained involuntary contractions of agonist and antagonist muscles

Hemiballismus

Large-amplitude sudden, violent, flailing motions of the arm and leg of one side of the body

Hyperkinesis

Abnormally increased muscle activity or movement

Hypokinesis

Decreased motor response especially to a specific stimulus

Rigidity

Increase in muscle tone causing greater resistance to passive movement; greater in flexor muscles

Leadpipe rigidity

Uniform, constant resistance as limb is moved

Cogwheel rigidity

Series of brief relaxations or "catches" as limb is passively moved

Tremor (resting)

Involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movement observed at rest