A rare co occurrence of Cervical Dystonia and Pathological Laughter in an elderly female

Abstract

Dystonia is a movement disorder whose main feature is a sustained or intermittent muscle contraction causing abnormal, often repetitive, movements. Cervical dystonia (CD) is a type of focal dystonia affecting cervical muscles leading to abnormal postures and movements of the head, neck, and shoulders. Pathological laughter and crying are a condition characterized by uncontrollable episodes of laughter and crying. It occurs without any apparent triggering stimulus or in response to a stimulus which had not resulted in cry or laughter before the onset of the condition. It is characterized as a disorder of emotional expression rather than a disorder of feelings. The purpose of presenting this case report is that this patient presented with pathological laughter and CD without any other neurological complications which are a very rare and unusual presentation.