In examining the causes of<unk> , it is important to remember that this disorder is extremely rare. While<unk>  can result from the following list, just because a patient suffers from one of these disorders does not mean they will also suffer from<unk> . Stroke<unk>  as a result of stroke occurs in only about 0.45 cases per hundred thousand stroke victims. Even at such a small rate, stroke is by far the most common cause of<unk> . A stroke causes tissue to die due to a lack of oxygen resulting from an impaired blood supply. In the basal ganglia, this can result in the death of tissue that helps to control movement. As a result, the brain is left with damaged tissue that sends damaged signals to the skeletal muscles in the body. The result is occasionally a patient with<unk> . Traumatic brain injury<unk>  can also occur as a result of a traumatic brain injury. There are cases in which victims of assault or other forms of violence have developed<unk> . Through these acts of violence, the victim’s brain has been damaged and the hemiballistic movements have developed. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis This disease causes neuronal loss and gliosis, which can include the subthalamic nucleus and other areas of the brain. Essentially any disorder that causes some form of neuronal loss or gliosis in the basal ganglia has the potential to cause<unk> . Hyperglycemia-induced involuntary movements (in this case, not<unk> , but hemichorea (chorea of one side of the body) and bilateral dystonia) in a 62-year-old Japanese woman with type 1 diabetes. Nonketotic hyperglycemia Patients with nonketotic hyperglycemia can develop<unk>  as a complication to the disease through the development of a subthalamic nucleus lesion. This is the second most common reported cause of<unk> . It can be found primarily in the elderly and many of the reported cases have come from East Asian origin, which suggests that there may be some genetic disposition to development of<unk>  as a result of hyperglycemia. Hemiballistic movements appear when blood glucose levels get too high and then subside once glucose levels return to normal. This time scale for this is usually several hours. In patients with this type of<unk> , imaging reveals abnormalities in the putamen contralateral to the movements as well as the globus pallidus and caudate nucleus. While the hyperglycemia itself is not the cause of the hemiballistic movements, it has been suggested that petechial hemorrhage or a decreased production of GABA and acetylcholine could result secondary to the hyperglycemia. One of these issues could be responsible for the hemiballistic movements. Neoplasms A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of cells. Cases have shown that if this occurs somewhere in the basal ganglia,<unk>  can result. Vascular malformations Vascular malformations can cause abnormal blood flow to areas of the brain. If too little blood is delivered to the basal ganglia, a stroke can occur. Tuberculomas This is another form of tumor that can result in the brain as a result of a tuberculous meningitis infection. This type of tumor can also damage parts of the basal ganglia, sometimes resulting in<unk> . Demyelinating plaques Demyelinating plaques attack the myelin sheaths on neurons. This decreases the conduction velocity of the neurons, making the signals received by the basal ganglia garbled and incomplete. This disorganized signal can also cause the chaotic movements characterized by<unk> . Complications from HIV infection Patients with HIV often have complications that arise along with AIDS. Hypoglycemia due to pentamidine use in patients with AIDS has been known to cause<unk> . In some patients,<unk>  has been the only visible symptom to alert the physician that the patients may have AIDS. It is typically a result of a secondary infection that occurs due to the compromised immune system and the most common infection causing<unk>  is cerebral toxoplasmosis. Most of the lesions that result from this infection are found in the basal ganglia. As long as the diagnosis is not missed, this type of<unk>  can be treated just as well as in patients without HIV.
Hemiballismus
Hypoglossia
Hypophonia
Misophonia
Metamorphopsia
Copropraxia
Dysarthria
Tachylalia