Takeaway
Botulinum neurotoxin treatment has only indirect short- or long-term neuromodulatory effects on primary sensorimotor regions involved in dystonic speech in laryngeal dystonia.
Why this matters?
Although botulinum neurotoxin injections into the affected laryngeal muscles remains the preferred treatment option for laryngeal dystonia, the long-term benefits remain unknown.
This series of studies was conducted in therapeutically and phenotypically diverse laryngeal dystonia cohorts and reveals insufficient modulation of activity of pathophysiologically critical cortical sensorimotor regions as an underlying cause of the temporary effectiveness of botulinum neurotoxin treatment in people with dystonia.