Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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A substantial number of sarcoidosis patients report apparently non-specific symptoms such as pain, for which no organic substrate has yet been found. Recently we observed symptoms suggestive of small-fibre neuropathy in a group of sarcoidosis patients. The aim of the present study was to verify this observation using various electrophysiological tests. ⋯ In a subgroup of sarcoidosis patients we found TTT abnormalities suggestive of small-fibre neuropathy. SSR and cardiovascular autonomic testing appeared to be of little diagnostic value. Small-fibre neuropathy may be the cause of a number of hitherto unexplained symptoms in sarcoidosis.
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This study concerned sensory processing (post-stimulus late evoked potential components) in different parts of the human brain as related to a motor task (hand movement) in a cognitive paradigm (Contingent Negative Variation). The focus of the study was on the time and space distribution of middle and late post-stimulus evoked potential (EP) components, and on the processing of sensory information in the subcortical-cortical networks. ⋯ The SM1, the SMA, multiple sites of the frontal lobe, some parts of the temporal lobe, the cingulate gyrus, the basal ganglia, the insula, and the posterior thalamus all participate in a cortico-subcortical network that is important for the parallel cognitive processing of sensory information in a movement related task.
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To establish whether there is a first night effect (FNE) in children and adolescents with suspected obstructive sleep apnoea undergoing polysomnography (PSG) and whether this affects sleep and breathing, furthermore, to determine the extent to which age may influence the sleep and cardiorespiratory parameters. ⋯ In children and adolescents, there is an FNE comparable with that described in adults. In OSAS children and also in children with no PSG-abnormalities, there is night-to-night-variability in sleep parameters, but not in respiratory parameters. An adaptation night is, therefore, necessary when sleep architecture is to be studied, but not when only the nocturnal respiratory pattern is investigated. Sleep parameters, HR and arousal indices are all age-dependent.
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Comparative Study
Short-term plastic changes of the human nociceptive system following acute pain induced by capsaicin.
To investigate possible neuroplastic changes induced by pain in cerebral areas devoted to nociceptive input processing. ⋯ Our results suggest that acute cutaneous pain may inhibit the neural activity in regions of central nervous system processing nociceptive inputs and cortical representation of these inputs can be rapidly modified in presence of acute pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
CAP variables and arousals as sleep electroencephalogram markers for primary insomnia.
Polysomnographic (PSG) measures consistently reflect poor sleep quality and effective treatment in insomniac patients. ⋯ PSG investigation extended to CAP variables and EEG arousals can be an important procedure for the diagnosis of primary insomnia and evaluation of treatment efficacy.