Trial of Metoclopramide on Oro-facial Dyskinesia Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Oro-facial dyskinesia is characterized by involuntary repetitive movements of the tongue, lip, or jaw, which is known to be derived by variable causes. Pre- and post-synaptic dopamine receptor abnormalities by degenerative changes in the brain seem to be the key pathophysiology, but the exact mechanism still remained to be unknown. Metoclopramide can pass the blood-brain barrier, which is known for a selective presynaptic autoregulating dopamine D2 receptor antagonist in the brain, and is usually prescribed for dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting. In particular, it was also reported to improve the symptoms of diurnal bruxism after brain injury. With reviewing some of literatures, we present a case of 27 year old man with traumatic brain injury who showed improvement of oro-facial dyskinesia after taking oral metoclopramide.