4.5 Article

Sensory Gating during Voluntary Finger Movement in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with Sensory Cortex Hyperexcitability

Journal

BRAIN SCIENCES
Volume 13, Issue 9, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091325

Keywords

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; somatosensory evoked potential; sensory cortex; hyperexcitability; sensory gating; frontal N30

Categories

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The study found enhanced cortical responses in somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with no significant differences in sensory gating between patients and controls. The baseline amplitudes of certain components of SEP were significantly correlated with their gating ratios in ALS patients, indicating preserved sensory gating in the early stages of the disease.
Cortical responses in somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) are enhanced in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study investigated whether sensory gating is involved in the pathophysiology of sensory cortical hyperactivity in ALS patients. The median nerve SEP was recorded at rest and during voluntary finger movements in 14 ALS patients and 13 healthy control subjects. The parietal N20, P25, and frontal N30 were analyzed, and sensory gating was assessed by measuring the amplitude of each component during finger movement. The amplitudes of the N20 onset-peak, N20 peak-P25 peak, and N30 onset-peak were higher in ALS patients than in controls. Nonetheless, there were no significant differences in the amplitude reduction ratio of SEPs between patients and controls. There was a significant correlation between the baseline amplitudes of the N20 onset-peak or N20 peak-P25 peak and their gating ratios in patients with ALS. Our findings indicate that the excitability of the primary sensory cortex and secondary motor cortex is enhanced in ALS, while sensory gating is preserved in the early stages of ALS. This result suggests that enhanced SEP is caused by the hyperexcitability of the primary sensory and secondary motor cortices but not by the dysfunction of inhibitory mechanisms during voluntary movements.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.5
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available