Conditions That Can Cause Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone)

Encephalitis

Encephalitis in an individual can cause them to develop hypertonia. Encephalitis describes when inflammation occurs in the brain. This condition has numerous known causes, but the cause of some cases remain unknown. Encephalitis can happen when a pathogen such as a virus or bacteria directly invades and infects an individual's brain cells. It can also occur when the patient's immune system has an abnormal reaction to an infection somewhere else in the body. The cells of the immune system attack the infected cells but also attack healthy brain cells. Encephalitis adversely affects an individual's nerves and nervous system function. The tone of the muscles depends on motor nerve signals that come from the spinal cord and brain. When there is a disturbance in the signaling between the brain and muscles, hypotonia can occur. Encephalitis causes nerve signal interruptions at the level of the spinal cord and brain before they reach any peripheral nerve branches. When the motor nerves in the brain become damaged, the signal interruption can result in hypotonia.

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