Sensory tricks, also called geste antagoniste, is a typical feature of primary and secondary dystonias.  The sensory tricks may take many forms and if not recognized, may lead to misdiagnosis and mislabeling as “psychogenic”.  Importantly, the sensory tricks are associated with neurophysiological changes, including normalization of TMS parameters such as intracortical facilitation as well as normalization or improvement in blink reflexes.  In the September issue of JNNP, Hallett and colleagues publish an authoritative and an elegant review encompassing clinical, neurophysiological and mechanistic issues pertaining to sensor tricks in dystonia.

This must read review can be found at:  http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/85/9/987.full

• Movement disorders

• Review