Negative Myoclonus Secondary to Thalamic Infarction: Case Report

BACKGROUND: Movement disorders are an infrequent presentation to stroke, and in this context, negative myoclonus is not among the most common movement disorders, hence we present a case of negative myoclonus secondary to thalamic stroke. CASE: A 75 year old male presented with left central facial palsy and negative myoclonus on his left upper limb. He was submitted to a diagnostic workup, with evidence of a right thalamic stroke. He was started on Phenobarbital 50 mg and the movement disorder resolved. CONCLUSION: Given the relevance of cerebrovascular disease as a cause of morbidity and mortality, it is important to the clinician to be aware of the less typical presentations such as the observed in our case, in order to provide adequate care to the patient.