Sensory Cortical Hyperexcitability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Involves a Broad Hand Representation Within the Primary Somatosensory Cortex.
Larger somatosensory evoked potential amplitude predicts shorter survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Sensory Cortical Hyperexcitability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Involves a Broad Hand Representation Within the Primary Somatosensory Cortex.
Sensory cortical hyperexcitability, reflected by enlarged median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (somatosensory evoked potentials), has been reported in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and is associated with shorter survival.
This study investigated whether similar changes involve the ulnar nerve representation within the hand area of the primary somatosensory cortex and examined their relationship with survival.
Were followed until death or tracheostomy, and associations between somatosensory evoked potentials amplitudes and survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses.
In contrast, patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed larger N20p-P25p amplitudes for both median and ulnar nerve somatosensory evoked potentials.
N20p-P25p amplitudes were positively correlated between the two nerves, and the ulnar-to-median amplitude ratio did not differ from controls.
Multivariate Cox analysis identified increased N20p-P25p amplitude as an independent predictor of shorter survival for both nerves.
DISCUSSION: Sensory cortical hyperexcitability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis extends beyond the median nerve to the ulnar nerve hand area of the somatosensory cortex.
DISCUSSION: Sensory cortical hyperexcitability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis extends beyond the median nerve to the ulnar nerve hand area of the somatosensory cortex.