Jun Tian, Satya R Vemula, Jianfeng Xiao, Enza Maria Valente, Giovanni Defazio, Simona Petrucci, Angelo Fabio Gigante, Monika Rudzińska-Bar, Zbigniew K Wszolek, Kathleen D Kennelly, Ryan J Uitti, Jay A van Gerpen, Peter Hedera, Elizabeth J Trimble, Mark S LeDoux
BACKGROUND: Blepharospasm (BSP) is a type of focal dystonia characterized by involuntary orbicularis oculi spasms that are usually bilateral, synchronous, and symmetrical. Despite strong evidence for genetic contributions to BSP, progress in the field has been constrained by small cohorts, incomplete penetrance, and late age of onset. Although several genetic etiologies for dystonia have been identified through whole-exome sequencing (WES), none of these are characteristically associated with BSP as a singular or predominant manifestation...
May 16, 2018: Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine