Myoclonic twitch


A rapid, involuntary muscle contraction, particularly near the eye. Myoclonic twitches resemble and may be mistaken for tics. Like tics, they tend to occur more often when the person is under stress; unlike tics, they are not preceded by any sensation and they cannot be delayed.

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  • Myoclonus

    A condition of abnormal contraction of muscles or portions of muscles.

  • Myocyte

    A muscle cell. From myo-, muscle + -cyte, cell = muscle cell. “Remaining young at heart is a desirable but elusive goal. Unbeknown to us, however, myocyte regeneration may accomplish just that.” (Nature 415, 240, 2003)

  • Myofascial pain syndrome

    A condition characterized by chronic pain in the muscle tissues, similar to fibromyalgia. MPS is sometimes the aftermath of injury. Pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, and therapies aimed at relaxing the muscles tissues (such as massage, chiropracty, and some forms of acupuncture) have been reported as beneficial. Abbreviated MPS. See also fibromyalgia.

  • Myoglobin

    The pigment in muscle that carries oxygen.

  • Myokymia

    Continuous involuntary muscle twitchings that give the appearance of wormlike rippling of muscle. The muscle contractions are involuntary (spontaneous) and brief. Myokymia can occur in many situations, including cancer (lung, thymoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, hypernephroma), drugs (gold, penicillamine, mercury), and after nerve damage from radiation. The term myokymia was coined by F. Schultze in 1895 to […]


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