Lesson plan
Asterixis
Asterixis is a movement disorder that results in jerking of the hands or feet while attempting to hold a position. The resemblance of the hands to flapping wings gives it the colloquial name "flapping tremor" although it is a negative myoclonus rather than a tremor. The disorder is caused by abnormal function of the diencephalic motor centers in the brain, which regulate the muscles involved in maintaining position. Asterixis is associated with various encephalopathies due especially to faulty metabolism. The term derives from the Greek a, meaning "not" and stērixis, meaning "support" or "stable position".
Article summary
Asterixis is a movement disorder that results in jerking of the hands or feet while attempting to hold a position. The resemblance of the hands to flapping wings gives it the colloquial name "flapping tremor" although it is a negative myoclonus rather than a tremor. The disorder is caused by abnormal function of the diencephalic motor centers in the brain, which regulate the muscles involved in maintaining position. Asterixis is associated with various encephalopathies due especially to faulty metabolism. The term derives from the Greek a, meaning "not" and stērixis, meaning "support" or "stable position".
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.