noun
definition
The brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles.
Examples of myoclonus in a Sentence
On December 31, he developed profound generalized myoclonus that began in his left arm.
Brief jerking movements of the muscles (called myoclonus) occur in most cases.
The diagnosis of benign neonatal sleep myoclonus was made in the remaining seven children.
Some involuntary muscle twitching is normal as a person falls asleep, and this type of jerking is called hypnagogic myoclonus.
However, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, benign sleep myoclonus usually resolves itself by the time a child is three months old.
The major observable difference between the jerking of benign sleep myoclonus and an actual seizure is that the former will stop as soon as the affected infant is woken up.
If the doctor is considering breathing-related sleep disorders, myoclonus, or narcolepsy as possible diagnoses, he or she may ask the patient to be tested in a sleep laboratory or at home with portable instruments.
Unlike tics, myoclonus cannot be controlled even briefly.