What can cause tongue fasciculations?

Table of Contents

Conclusions: Tongue fasciculations are visible, spontaneous and intermittent contractures of muscle fibers, that are often a neurological finding of concern, reportedly related to motor neuron disorders, most often ALS.

What paralytic causes fasciculations?

The depolarizing neuromuscular blocker succinylcholine causes fasciculations. It is a normal side effect of the drug’s administration, and can be prevented with a small dose of a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker prior to the administration of succinylcholine, often 10% of a nondepolarizing NMB’s induction dose.

How do fasciculations occur?

“Fasciculations occur when innervation from the peripheral nervous system to the muscle is not working correctly and a muscle is triggered involuntarily, causing it to twitch,” says Dr. Ondo. “This is very common and these fasciculations usually go unnoticed, but in some cases, people do feel the muscle twitch.”

Why do fasciculations occur in lower motor neuron lesions?

Fasciculations – caused by increased receptor concentration on muscles to compensate for lack of innervation. Hypotonia or atonia – Tone is not velocity dependent. Hyporeflexia – Along with deep reflexes even cutaneous reflexes are also decreased or absent.

Are tongue fasciculations upper or lower motor neuron?

When accompanied by weakness or atrophy, however, fasciculations indicate lower motor neuron disease, usually of the anterior horn cell or proximal peripheral nerve. Tongue fasciculations occur in up to one-third of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (See the section on Approach to Weakness, later.)

What medications cause fasciculations?

Drugs that may trigger fasciculations include:

beta-agonists.
chlorpheniramine (Chlorphen SR)
dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)
diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
nortriptyline (Pamelor)
methylphenidate (Ritalin)
pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)

Why does succinylcholine cause fasciculations?

A depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent, succinylcholine adheres to post-synaptic cholinergic receptors of the motor endplate, inducing continuous disruption that results in transient fasciculations or involuntary muscle contractions and subsequent skeletal muscle paralysis.

What drugs cause fasciculations?

Are fasciculations UMN or LMN?

Unlike UMNs, LMN lesions present with muscle atrophy, fasciculations (muscle twitching), decreased reflexes, decreased tone, negative Babinsky sign, and flaccid paralysis. These findings are crucial when differentiating UMN vs.

What controls tongue movement?

The hypoglossal nerve enables tongue movement. It controls the hyoglossus, intrinsic, genioglossus and styloglossus muscles. These muscles help you speak, swallow and move substances around in your mouth.

What are succinylcholine fasciculations?

Succinylcholine fasciculations: failure of suppression by small doses of dantrolene. Abstracts. Canadian Anaesthetists’ Society Journal 1982; 55: 503 . 47 Shrivastava OP, Chatterji S, Suman K, Daga SR.

How does acetylcholine cause fasciculations?

Binding of acetylcholine to its postjunctional receptor evokes muscle contraction [ 15 ]. Fasciculations have been attributed to a prejunctional depolarising action of succinylcholine, resulting in repetitive firing of the motor nerve terminals and antidromic discharges that manifest as uncoordinated muscle contractions [ 16, 17 ].

What is the role of succinylcholine in the treatment of myalgia?

In situations where succinylcholine is used because of its superiority in providing fast and good intubating conditions, clinicians can treat those who are at greatest risk of developing myalgia. Combining two agents may prove to be the most useful method for reducing the incidence of fasciculations and myalgia.

Does succinylcholine-induced fasciculation increase creatine phosphokinase levels?

In an attempt to correlate succinylcholine-induced fasciculation with muscle injury and the ensuing muscular pain and stiffness, changes in serum creatine phosphokinase after succinylcholine administration were studied. However, there was no correlation between muscle pain and creatine phosphokinase elevation [ 27 ].