Task-specific Focal Hand Dystonia Research Articles

Quantifying abnormal writing kinematics in writer's cramp using a novel software platform.

Writer's cramp is a task-specific focal hand dystonia, which is diagnosed clinically. Quantification of defect in WC is done using clinical scales, while digitized platforms are lacking. To design and test a platform that can differentiate and quantify the abnormal kinematics of writing using a software interface and to validate it in adult-onset isolated writer's cramp (WC). A native platform was designed using Java and Wacom Intuos pro tablet and the data analyzed using a MATLAB-based platform called Large Data-Based Evaluation of Kinematics in Handwriting (LEKH). We standardized this new platform by comparing the handwriting between patients with WC and age, and gender and education-matched healthy controls, using standard tasks to assess the kinematics. Comparison of the writing of right-handed WC patients (N = 21) and 39 healthy controls (N = 39) showed that patients differed from controls in the frequency of strokes (P < 0.001), number of inversions of velocity (P < 0.001), number of breaks (P = 0.02), air time and paper time (P < 0.001). Using the LEKH platform, the kinematic profile of patients with WC could be differentiated from healthy controls. Studies in larger samples will be needed to derive statistical models that can differentiate the flexion and extension types of WC which can help in muscle selection and to quantify the effects of treatment.

Effects of ventro-oral thalamic deep brain stimulation in a patient with musician’s dystonia: illustrative case

BACKGROUND Musician’s dystonia is a task-specific focal hand dystonia characterized by involuntary contraction of muscles while playing a musical instrument. Current treatment options are often insufficient. OBSERVATIONS We present the effects of ventro-oral thalamic deep brain stimulation in a patient with musician’s dystonia. The patient was a 67-year-old pianist with musician’s dystonia who underwent deep brain stimulation with the ventralis oralis anterior and posterior nuclei of the thalamus as targets. The Tubiana and Chamagne rating scale was used to evaluate the effects of stimulation. The outcome was evaluated independently by four clinicians in a blinded manner at 3 months postoperatively. There was a distinct reduction of symptoms during stimulation. At 15 months postoperatively, the beneficial effect remained. No lasting side effects were observed. LESSONS Further studies are warranted to evaluate the safety and long-term efficacy of this treatment modality.

Safety and long-term efficacy of ventro-oral thalamotomy for focal hand dystonia: A retrospective study of 171 patients.

ObjectiveTo report the safety and long-term efficacy of ventro-oral thalamotomy for 171 consecutive patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia.MethodsBetween October 2003 and February 2017, 171 consecutive patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia underwent unilateral ventro-oral thalamotomy. Etiologies included writer's cramps (n = 92), musician's dystonias (n = 58), and other occupational task-related dystonias (n = 21). The task-specific focal hand dystonia scale was used to evaluate patients' neurologic conditions (range 1–5, high score indicated a better condition). The scores before surgery; at 1 week, 3 months, and 12 months postoperatively; and the last available follow-up period were determined. Postoperative complications and postoperative recurrence were also evaluated.ResultsThe scores before surgery; at 1 week (1.72 ± 0.57, 4.33 ± 0.85 [p < 0.001]), 3 months (4.30 ± 1.06 [p < 0.001]), and 12 months (4.30 ± 1.13 [p < 0.001]); and the last available follow-up (4.39 ± 1.07 [p < 0.001]) postoperatively improved. The mean clinical follow-up period was 25.4 ± 32.1 months (range: 3–165). Permanent adverse events developed in 6 patients (3.5%). Eighteen patients developed recurrent dystonic symptoms postoperatively. Of these 18 patients, 9 underwent ventro-oral thalamotomy again, of which 7 achieved improvement.ConclusionVentro-oral thalamotomy is a feasible and reasonable treatment for patients with refractory task-specific focal hand dystonias. Prospective, randomized, and blinded studies are warranted to clarify more accurate assessment of the safety and efficacy of ventro-oral thalamotomy for task-specific focal hand dystonia.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia, ventro-oral thalamotomy improves dystonia.

Abnormal Blink Reflex and Intermuscular Coherence in Writer's Cramp.

Background: Writer's cramp (WC) is a task-specific focal hand dystonia presenting with pain, stiffness and/or tremor while writing. We explored the involvement of cortical and brainstem circuits by measuring intermuscular coherence (IMC) and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) of the blink reflex.Methods: IMC was measured in 10 healthy controls and 20 WC patients (10 with associated tremor) while they performed a precision grip task at different force levels. Blink responses were evaluated in 9 healthy controls and 10 WC patients by stimulating the right supraorbital nerve and recording surface EMG from the orbicularis oculi muscles bilaterally. PPI involved conditioning this stimulation with a prior shock to the right median nerve (100 ms interval), and measuring the reduction in the R2 component of the blink reflex.Results: Significant IMC at 3–7 Hz was present in WC patients, but not in healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, in WC patients the R2 component of the blink reflex showed significantly less PPI. IMC at 3–7 Hz could reliably discriminate WC patients from healthy controls.Conclusion: Cortical or sub-cortical circuits generating theta (3–7 Hz) oscillations might play an important role in the pathogenesis of WC. Moreover, the lack of PPI implicates abnormalities in brainstem inhibition in the emergence of WC. IMC may merit further development as an electrodiagnostic test for focal dystonia.

Sensory–motor rehabilitation therapy for task-specific focal hand dystonia: A feasibility study

IntroductionMedical treatments have limited long-term effect in task-specific dystonia. Whilst evidence supports the use of rehabilitation, no randomised controlled trials have been undertaken. This small-scale study determined the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a mixed sensory–motor task-specific dystonia rehabilitative programme.MethodsParticipants with writer’s or musician’s dystonia were recruited from a movement disorder and hand therapy clinic. Feasibility measures were recruitment rate, retention, session attendance, adherence to exercises. Self-report measures at 0, 3 and 6 months included: Arm Dystonia Disability Scale (ADDS), Tubiana and Chamagne Scale (TCS), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), Health Status (EQ-5D 5L), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI). Task performance was video-recorded at baseline and 6 months. At 6 months, interviews explored participant experiences of the intervention.ResultsFifteen patients were recruited over 6 months (rate 2.5/month, musician’s dystonia = 8, writer’s dystonia = 7). Complete data sets were collected for twelve people(80%). The programme comprised a maximum six sessions plus daily home exercises. Nine completed the home programme at ≥75%. No adverse events were reported. Effect sizes at 3 and 6 months, respectively, were ADDS 3-month = 0.28, 6-month = 0.23; TCS 3-month = 0.13, 6-month = 0.53; BIPQ 3-month = 0.38, 6-month = 0.71; EQ-5D-5L 3-month = 0.34, 6-month = 0.59; video analysis at 6 months = 0.78. Eleven (92%) improved on the CGI. Interviews supported acceptability of the intervention.ConclusionsThis intervention was feasible to deliver with high retention, adherence and acceptability. Improvements occurred across measures. This informs the development of future randomised controlled trials.

P052 Investigation of the influence of the parieto-premotor network on the motor cortex in writer’s cramp using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Objective We aimed to study the influence of the parieto-premotor network on the motor cortex in patients with writer’s cramp. Background The parietal and premotor cortices have been shown to be involved in right-handed writing. It has also been shown that the connectivity between these regions may be reduced in writer’s cramp, a type of task-specific focal hand dystonia. Methods We used a three single-pulse TMS paradigm (preconditioning, conditioning and test pulse) to sequentially stimulate the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC), left ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and the left motor cortex (M1). A paired-pulse TMS paradigm was used to probe the functional connectivity of the PMv and M1, as well as the PPC and M1 prior to the three single-pulse TMS paradigm. Results 8 right-handed healthy volunteers (mean age 55 years, standard error 4 years) and 8 right-handed patients with writer’s cramp (mean age 62 years, standard error 2 years) completed the study. We confirmed the presence of premotor-to-motor inhibition in the healthy volunteer group at interstimulus intervals (ISI) s of 4 ms and 8 ms, while this was not seen in the patient group. Facilitatory influences from the posterior parietal cortex was seen in both groups (ISIs of 4 ms and 6 ms in the healthy group, and 6 ms in the patient group). Download : Download high-res image (202KB) Download : Download full-size image The premotor-to-motor inhibition was found to reverse in healthy volunteers (shown in Fig. 2, as no statistical significance was seen amongst the test and triple conditions), while no effects were seen in patients. Conclusions We confirmed that in healthy volunteers, the PPC appears to have an influence on the PMv, resulting in reversal of the inhibition seen with PMv paired-pulse stimuli. This along with premotor-to-motor inhibition, was not seen in patients with writer’s cramp. Facilitatory parietal influences on M1, on the other hand, appear to be intact in these patients. These results suggest that the connectivity between PPC and M1 is intact in patients with writer’s cramp, while the connectivity between PPC and PMv, and PMv and M1 appears altered. Download : Download high-res image (77KB) Download : Download full-size image

Haptic Feedback Manipulation During Botulinum Toxin Injection Therapy for Focal Hand Dystonia Patients: A Possible New Assistive Strategy.

Abnormality of sensorimotor integration in the basal ganglia and cortex has been reported in the literature for patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia (FHD). In this study, we investigate the effect of manipulation of kinesthetic input in people living with writer's cramp disorder (a major form of FHD). For this purpose, severity of dystonia is studied for 11 participants while the symptoms of seven participants have been tracked during five sessions of assessment and Botulinum toxin injection (BoNT-A) therapy (one of the current suggested therapies for dystonia). BoNT-A therapy is delivered in the first and the third session. The goal is to analyze the effect of haptic manipulation as a potential assistive technique during BoNT-A therapy. The trial includes writing, hovering, and spiral/sinusoidal drawing subtasks. In each session, the subtasks are repeated twice when (a) a participant uses a normal pen, and (b) when the participant uses a robotics-assisted system (supporting the pen) which provides a compliant virtual writing surface and manipulates the kinesthetic sensory input. The results show (p-value using one-sample t-tests) that reducing the writing surface rigidity significantly decreases the severity of dystonia and results in better control of grip pressure (an indicator of dystonic cramping). It is also shown that (p-value based on paired-samples t-test) using the proposed haptic manipulation strategy, it is possible to augment the effectiveness of BoNT-A therapy. The outcome of this study is then used in the design of an actuated pen as a writing-assistance tool that can provide compliant haptic interaction during writing for FHD patients.

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Neurorehabilitation of Task-Specific Dystonia: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Task-specific focal hand dystonia can disable affected individuals. Although neurorehabilitation techniques such as sensory motor retuning can result in complete recovery in some patients, it requires many months of treatment. Combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with neurorehabilitation is a new and promising approach that can help these patients. However, the results in different studies are contradictory. Analyze whether delivering tDCS (cathode over left and anode over right parietal region) during the neurorehabilitation process for musicians with dystonia can increase the effectiveness of therapy. A parallel double-blind randomized design was used to study 30 musicians with right-hand primary focal dystonia. All patients underwent a 2-week course of neurorehabilitation based on sensory motor retuning therapy coupled with either real or sham tDCS for the first 30 minutes of each daily 1-hour therapy session (total 10 sessions). The therapist and patient were blind to the tDCS condition. A dystonia severity score was obtained before and after the 2-week protocol. The therapist also rated the evolution of each patient. Both groups significantly improved their dystonia severity score during the 2 weeks. Score differences were 88.23 (±40.51) and 63.36 (±30.57) for the active and sham groups, respectively. The active group showed a statistically significant greater improvement. Biparietal tDCS with left-sided cathode is a safe technique that does not interfere with the neurorehabilitation procedure and can increase therapy effectiveness in rehabilitation patients with right-hand task-specific focal dystonia.

A multifactorial conceptual model of peripheral neuromusculoskeletal predisposing factors in task-specific focal hand dystonia in musicians: etiologic and therapeutic implications.

A model is presented showing how peripheral factors may cause a process of movement adaptation that leads to task-specific focal hand dystonia in musicians (FHDM). To acquire a playing technique, the hand must find effective and physiologically sustainable movements within a complex set of functional demands and anatomic, ergonomic, and physiological constraints. In doing so, individually discriminating constraints may become effective, such as limited anatomic independence of finger muscles/tendons, limited joint ranges of motion, or (subclinical) neuromusculoskeletal defects. These factors may, depending on the instrument-specific playing requirements, compromise or exclude functional playing movements. The controller (i.e., the brain) then needs to develop alternative motions to execute the task, which is called compensation. We hypothesize that, if this compensation process does not converge to physiologically sustainable muscle activation patterns that satisfy all constraints, compensation could increase indefinitely under the pressure of practice. Dystonic symptoms would become manifest when overcompensation occurs, resulting in motor patterns that fail in proper task execution. The model presented in this paper only concerns the compensatory processes preceding such overcompensations and does not aim to explain the nature of the dystonic motions themselves. While the model considers normal learning processes in the development of compensations, neurological predispositions could facilitate developing overcompensations or further abnormal motor programs. The model predicts that if peripheral factors are involved, FHDM symptoms would be preceded by long-term gradual changes in playing movements, which could be validated by prospective studies. Furthermore, the model implies that treatment success might be enhanced by addressing the conflict between peripheral factors and playing tasks before decompensating/retraining the affected movements.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Neurorehabilitation of Task-Specific Dystonia: A Pilot Study

Sensory-motor returning (SMR) can help the symptoms of task-specific focal hand dystonia. However, effects vary across patients and take many sessions. Here, we present proof of principle evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance these effects. We compared the effects of a combined tDCS-SMR protocol (n=4 patients) with the efficacy of SMR alone (n=30 patients). All 4 patients treated with the combined protocol showed greater improvement than those undergoing SMR alone. Results encourage a larger, parallel-group clinical trial with sham tDCS control.

Abnormal Movement Preparation in Task-Specific Focal Hand Dystonia

Electrophysiological and behavioral studies in primary dystonia suggest abnormalities during movement preparation, but this crucial phase preceding movement onset has not yet been studied specifically with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To identify abnormalities in brain activation during movement preparation, we used event-related fMRI to analyze behaviorally unimpaired sequential finger movements in 18 patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia (FHD) and 18 healthy subjects. Patients and controls executed self-initiated or externally cued prelearnt four-digit sequential movements using either right or left hands. In FHD patients, motor performance of the sequential finger task was not associated with task-related dystonic posturing and their activation levels during motor execution were highly comparable with controls. On the other hand reduced activation was observed during movement preparation in the FHD patients in left premotor cortex / precentral gyrus for all conditions, and for self-initiation additionally in supplementary motor area, left mid-insula and anterior putamen, independent of effector side. Findings argue for abnormalities of early stages of motor control in FHD, manifesting during movement preparation. Since deficits map to regions involved in the coding of motor programs, we propose that task-specific dystonia is characterized by abnormalities during recruitment of motor programs: these do not manifest at the behavioral level during simple automated movements, however, errors in motor programs of complex movements established by extensive practice (a core feature of FHD), trigger the inappropriate movement patterns observed in task-specific dystonia.

Striatal dopaminergic dysfunction at rest and during task performance in writer’s cramp

Writer's cramp is a task-specific focal hand dystonia characterized by involuntary excessive muscle contractions during writing. Although abnormal striatal dopamine receptor binding has been implicated in the pathophysiology of writer's cramp and other primary dystonias, endogenous dopamine release during task performance has not been previously investigated in writer's cramp. Using positron emission tomography imaging with the D2/D3 antagonist 11C-raclopride, we analysed striatal D2/D3 availability at rest and endogenous dopamine release during sequential finger tapping and speech production tasks in 15 patients with writer's cramp and 15 matched healthy control subjects. Compared with control subjects, patients had reduced 11C-raclopride binding to D2/D3 receptors at rest in the bilateral striatum, consistent with findings in previous studies. During the tapping task, patients had decreased dopamine release in the left striatum as assessed by reduced change in 11C-raclopride binding compared with control subjects. One cluster of reduced dopamine release in the left putamen during tapping overlapped with a region of reduced 11C-raclopride binding to D2/D3 receptors at rest. During the sentence production task, patients showed increased dopamine release in the left striatum. No overlap between altered dopamine release during speech production and reduced 11C-raclopride binding to D2/D3 receptors at rest was seen. Striatal regions where D2/D3 availability at rest positively correlated with disease duration were lateral and non-overlapping with striatal regions showing reduced D2/D3 receptor availability, except for a cluster in the left nucleus accumbens, which showed a negative correlation with disease duration and overlapped with striatal regions showing reduced D2/D3 availability. Our findings suggest that patients with writer's cramp may have divergent responses in striatal dopamine release during an asymptomatic motor task involving the dystonic hand and an unrelated asymptomatic task, sentence production. Our voxel-based results also suggest that writer's cramp may be associated with reduced striatal dopamine release occuring in the setting of reduced D2/D3 receptor availability and raise the possibility that basal ganglia circuits associated with premotor cortices and those associated with primary motor cortex are differentially affected in primary focal dystonias.

Long‐term improvement of musician's dystonia after stereotactic ventro‐oral thalamotomy

Musician's dystonia is a task-specific movement disorder that causes twisting or repetitive abnormal finger postures and movements, which tend to occur only while playing musical instruments. Such a movement disorder will probably lead to termination of the careers of affected professional musicians. Most of the currently available treatments have yet to provide consistent and satisfactory results. We present the long-term follow-up results of ventro-oral thalamotomy for 15 patients with musician's dystonia. Between October 2003 and September 2010, 15 patients with medically intractable task-specific focal hand dystonia that occurred only while playing musical instruments underwent ventro-oral thalamotomy. We used Tubiana's musician's dystonia scale to evaluate the patients' pre- and postoperative neurological conditions. All patients except 1 (93%) experienced dramatic improvement of dystonic symptoms immediately after ventro-oral thalamotomy. The mean follow-up period was 30.8 months (range=4-108 months). None of the patients experienced recurrence or deterioration of symptoms during the follow-up periods. Ventro-oral thalamotomy remarkably improved musician's dystonia, and the effect persisted for a long duration.

Complex-value coherence mapping reveals novel abnormal resting-state functional connectivity networks in task-specific focal hand dystonia.

Resting-state imaging designs are powerful in modeling functional networks in movement disorders because they eliminate task performance related confounds. However, the most common metric for quantifying functional connectivity, i.e., bivariate magnitude coherence (Coh), can sometimes be contaminated by spurious correlations in blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal due to smoothing and seed blur, thereby limiting the identification of true interactions between neighboring neural populations. Here, we apply a novel functional connectivity metric., i.e., imaginary coherence (ICoh), to BOLD fMRI data in healthy individuals and patients with task-specific focal hand dystonia (tspFHD), in addition to the traditional magnitude Coh metric. We reconstructed resting-state sensorimotor, basal ganglia, and default-mode networks using both Coh and ICoh. We demonstrate that indeed the ICoh metric eliminates spatial blur around seed placement and reflects slightly different networks from Coh. We then identified significant reductions in resting-state connectivity within both the sensorimotor and basal ganglia networks in patients with tspFHD, primarily in the hemisphere contralateral to the affected hand. Collectively, these findings direct our attention to the fact that multiple networks are decoupled in tspFHD that can be unraveled by different functional connectivity metrics, and that this aberrant communication contributes to clinical deficits in the disorder.

Task specific focal hand dystonia: Understanding the enigma and current concepts

The first step in approaching task specific focal hand dystonia (TSFHD) is recognition that it is a neurological disorder and not a deficiency in practice or technique. To eliminate the enigma, TSFHD needs to be a more familiar entity. That is the objective of this paper. This is a state of the art review in concert with 3 decades of experience providing care for musicians written to act as a reference source. It is written as an introduction to TSFHD by reviewing history, etiology and current theories, presentation and characteristics, diagnosis and treatment. Information sources, both web-based and by consultation need to be accessible, reliable and comprehensive. Accurate diagnosis should include the diagnosis of concurrent impairments and the confirmation that the diagnosis of TSFHD is correct. Successful treatment is likely to be interdisciplinary. Successful approaches may include the administration of botulinum toxin but approaches should not be restricted to pharmaceuticals. Instrument modification, altering technique and sensory motor retraining are potential adjunctive approaches. A dichotomy exists between the therapeutic benefit achieved with treatment and the musician's need for optimum hand function. The final goal is successful return to playing at a level that meets the musician's needs.

Aberrant Oscillatory Activity during Simple Movement in Task-Specific Focal Hand Dystonia.

In task-specific focal hand dystonia (tspFHD), the temporal dynamics of cortical activity in the motor system and how these processes are related to impairments in sensory and motor function are poorly understood. Here, we use time-frequency reconstructions of magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data to elaborate the temporal and spatial characteristics of cortical activity during movement. A self-paced finger tapping task during MEG recording was performed by 11 patients with tspFHD and 11 matched healthy controls. In both groups robust changes in beta (12–30 Hz) and high gamma (65–90 Hz) oscillatory activity were identified over sensory and motor cortices during button press. A significant decrease [p < 0.05, 1% False Discovery Rate (FDR) corrected] in high gamma power during movements of the affected hand was identified over ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex in the period prior to (−575 ms) and following (725 ms) button press. Furthermore, an increase (p < 0.05, 1% FDR corrected) in beta power suppression following movement of the affected hand was identified over visual cortex in patients with tspFHD. For movements of the unaffected hand, a significant (p < 0.05, 1% FDR corrected) increase in beta power suppression was identified over secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) in the period following button press in patients with tspFHD. Oscillatory activity within in the tspFHD group was however not correlated with clinical measures. Understanding these aberrant oscillatory dynamics can provide the groundwork for interventions that focus on modulating the timing of this activity.

Amplitude and timing of somatosensory cortex activity in task-specific focal hand dystonia

Objective Task-specific focal hand dystonia (tspFHD) is a movement disorder diagnosed in individuals performing repetitive hand behaviors. The extent to which processing anomalies in primary sensory cortex extend to other regions or across the two hemispheres is presently unclear. Methods In response to low/high rate and novel tactile stimuli on the affected and unaffected hands, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to elaborate activity timing and amplitude in the primary somatosensory (S1) and secondary somatosensory/parietal ventral (S2/PV) cortices. MEG and clinical performance measures were collected from 13 patients and matched controls. Results Compared to controls, subjects with tspFHD had increased response amplitude in S2/PV bilaterally in response to high rate and novel stimuli. Subjects with tspFHD also showed increased response latency (low rate, novel) of the affected digits in contralateral S1. For high rate, subjects with tspFHD showed increased response latency in ipsilateral S1 and S2/PV bilaterally. Activation differences correlated with functional sensory deficits (predicting a latency shift in S1), motor speed and muscle strength. Conclusions There are objective differences in the amplitude and timing of activity for both hands across contralateral and ipsilateral somatosensory cortex in patients with tspFHD. Significance Knowledge of cortical processing abnormalities across S1 and S2/PV in dystonia should be applied towards the development of learning-based sensorimotor interventions.

P6.16 Impairment of paced digital movements in task specific focal hand dystonia

P6.16 Impairment of paced digital movements in task specific focal hand dystonia

Transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of focal hand dystonia

The treatment of writer's cramp, a task-specific focal hand dystonia, needs new approaches. A deficiency of inhibition in the motor cortex might cause writer's cramp. Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates cortical excitability and may provide a therapeutic alternative. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study, we investigated the efficacy of cathodal stimulation of the contralateral motor cortex in 3 sessions in 1 week. Assessment over a 2-week period included clinical scales, subjective ratings, kinematic handwriting analysis, and neurophysiological evaluation. Twelve patients with unilateral dystonic writer's cramp were investigated; 6 received transcranial direct current and 6 sham stimulation. Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation had no favorable effects on clinical scales and failed to restore normal handwriting kinematics and cortical inhibition. Subjective worsening remained unexplained, leading to premature study termination. Repeated sessions of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex yielded no favorable results supporting a therapeutic potential in writer's cramp.

Solution-Focused Guided Imagery as an Intervention for Golfers with the Yips

Four experienced golfers participated in a multiple-baseline across participant design that examined the efficacy of solution-focused guided imagery (SFGI) as a treatment for Type I yips. Data was collected during actual 9-hole golf matches and participants received five interventions of the SFGI protocol. Results supported previous research that found SFGI to decrease yips. The current study extended past research by showing that the SFGI protocol was effective with multiple facilitators. Maintenance data collected 12-14 weeks post intervention also extended generalization over time. Results suggest that researchers should examine the effects of similar SFGI protocol on individuals experiencing task-specific focal hand dystonia across tasks (e.g., musicians, tennis players).