Primary torsion dystonia is a movement disorder characterised by sustained or intermittent involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal movements, postures or both. In this study, 3 brothers affected by inherited primary dystonia 16 (DYT16) began an oral therapy with high-dose thiamine from November to December 2015. After 3 months, an important improvement of the motor symptoms was observed. Our results support the hypothesis that pathogenesis of the symptoms might be related to a dysfunction in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation due to a focal impairment of thiamine-dependent processes. Our results support some authors' hypothesis that dystonia might have a mitochondrial aetiology.
2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.