Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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Recent advances in technology and the refinement of neurophysiological methodologies are significantly changing intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IOM) of the spinal cord. This review will summarize the latest achievements in the monitoring of the spinal cord during spine and spinal cord surgeries. This overview is based on an extensive review of the literature and the authors' personal experience. ⋯ Finally, while MEPs are now considered the gold standard for monitoring the motor pathways, SEPs continue to retain value as they provide specificity for assessing the integrity of the dorsal column. However, we believe SEPs should not be used exclusively--or as an alternative to motor evoked potentials--during spine surgery, but rather as a complementary method in combination with MEPs. For intramedullary spinal tumor resection, SEPs should not be used exclusively without MEPs.
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The aims of this study were (1) to characterise the extent and nature of disrupted sleep in individuals with long-term sleep complaints subsequent to mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), and (2) to determine whether sleep disturbances in MTBI subjects were more characteristic of psychophysiological, psychiatric, or idiopathic insomnia. ⋯ Sleep disturbances can persist well after the injury in a subset of patients with MTBI.
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Theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) causes changes in motor cortical excitability. In the present study, somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) were recorded before and after TBS over the motor cortex to examine how TBS influenced the somatosensory cortex. ⋯ The mechanisms of changes in HFOs after TBS may be the same as those in SICI.
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This study investigated if obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may be associated with higher activity in different frequency bands of the EEG during a sustained wakefulness paradigm. ⋯ In a sustained wakefulness paradigm, higher activity in delta, theta and beta bands associated with OSAS indicates that OSA patients show marked signs of higher sleepiness and stronger efforts than controls to stay awake, even though they tend to underestimate their sleepiness.