Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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Previous evidence in epileptic subjects has shown that theta (about 4-7Hz) and gamma rhythms (about 40-45Hz) of hippocampus, amygdala, and neocortex were temporally synchronized during the listening of repeated words successfully remembered (Babiloni et al., 2009). Here we re-analyzed those electroencephalographic (EEG) data to test whether a parallel increase in amplitude of late positive event-related potentials takes place. ⋯ This ERP component is a promising neuromarker of successful memorization of repeated words in humans.
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Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is used for focus localization in presurgical evaluation of patients with focal epilepsies. In this proof-of-concept study, general anesthesia with etomidate was used to improve effectiveness of MEG-recordings. ⋯ These results could facilitate larger studies on the usefulness and safety of general anesthesia with etomidate that record and localize epileptic activity in patients with focal epilepsy by MEG.
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Cerebral palsy (CP) is a motor disorder that causes physical disability in human development. Recent work has shown that somatosensory deficits are a serious problem for people with CP. There is however no information about the influence of age on brain correlates of tactile sensitivity. ⋯ Assessment of somatosensory functions may have implications for future neuromodulatory treatment of pain complaints and motor rehabilitation programs in children and adults with cerebral palsy.
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Comparative Study
A search for activation of C nociceptors by sympathetic fibers in complex regional pain syndrome.
Although the term 'reflex sympathetic dystrophy' has been replaced by 'complex regional pain syndrome' (CRPS) type I, there remains a widespread presumption that the sympathetic nervous system is actively involved in mediating chronic neuropathic pain ["sympathetically maintained pain" (SMP)], even in the absence of detectable neuropathophysiology. ⋯ This study shows that sympathetic-nociceptor interactions, if they exist in patients communicating chronic neuropathic pain, must be the exception.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Slow (1 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) induces a sustained change in cortical excitability in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Low-frequency (< or =1 Hz) rTMS (LF-rTMS) can reduce excitability in the underlying cortex and/or promote inhibition. In patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) several TMS elicited features of motor corticospinal physiology suggest presence of impaired inhibitory mechanisms. These include shortened silent period (SP) and slightly steeper input-output (I-O) curve of motor evoked potential (MEP) size than in normal controls. However, studies of LF-rTMS effects on inhibitory mechanisms in PD are scarce. In this companion paper to the clinical paper describing effects of four consecutive days of LF-rTMS on dyskinesia in PD (Filipović et al., 2009), we evaluate the delayed (24h) effects of the LF-rTMS treatment on physiological measures of excitability of the motor cortex in the same patients. There are very few studies of physiological follow up of daily rTMS treatments. ⋯ The results confirm the existence of a residual after-effect of consecutive daily applications of rTMS that might be relevant to the clinical effect that was observed in this group of patients and could be further exploited for potential therapeutic uses.