Botulinum toxin – Botox is one of its brand names – is injected into any striated muscle in the body to produce a localized neurological muscle block by preventing the release of acetylcholine at the junction between the motor nerve of a neuron and a muscle fiber.
Botox is useful in neurological processes where there is excessive muscle contraction. For example, in the orbicularis oculi of the face we prevent hemifacial spasm or blepharospasm, an anomaly of eyelid function that causes involuntary contraction of the eyelids; in the neck we prevent torticollis; and in the limbs we can treat muscle spasticity that appears after a stroke.
Botox is also used in processes that are not strictly neurological, such as wrinkles or urinary bladder incontinence, and in some glands such as sweat glands.
Application of Botox in the brain
Botulinum toxin does not act directly on the brain but on the peripheral nervous system. Depending on the ailment to be treated, one treatment or another will be performed. The result is not definitive, because the blocked nerve endings are replaced by the organism by new ones between 3 and 10 months later, depending on the type of process and the response of each patient.
According to the law, it is mandatory that the botulinum toxin is administered by an expert physician, since it requires an exact knowledge of the doses, the location and the method of application. In addition, the doses between the different commercial brands are not equivalent and have a maximum dosage limit. Its administration can be done in a doctor’s office, it does not require preparations or surgery.
The side effects of Botox are minimal and temporary.