Cortical versus spinal dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Little is known about the possible link between cortical and spinal motor neuron dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We correlated the characteristics of the responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with the electromechanical properties and firing pattern of single motor...
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Published in | Muscle & nerve Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 677 - 690 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Hoboken
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
01.05.2006
Wiley |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Little is known about the possible link between cortical and spinal motor neuron dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We correlated the characteristics of the responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with the electromechanical properties and firing pattern of single motor units (MUs) tested in nine ALS patients, three patients with Kennedy's disease, and 15 healthy subjects. In Kennedy's disease, 19 of 22 MUs were markedly enlarged with good electromechanical coupling and discharged with great variability. Their excitatory responses increased with MU size. In ALS, 17 of 34 MUs with excitatory responses behaved as in Kennedy's disease. By contrast, 28 MUs with nonsignificant responses showed poor electromechanical coupling and high firing rates, whereas 28 MUs with inhibitory responses showed moderate functional alterations. This result indicates that in ALS as in Kennedy's disease, sprouting of corticospinal axons may occur on surviving motoneurons. A clear relationship exists between the responsiveness of MUs to TMS and their functional state. Muscle Nerve, 2006 |
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Bibliography: | Association pour la Recherche sur la Sclérose Latérale Amyotrophique Association Française contre les Myopathies istex:8E3280558B40A61F0A8705F633CA68491DF9CFE0 ArticleID:MUS20519 ark:/67375/WNG-BHPQZ25J-K ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0148-639X 1097-4598 |
DOI: | 10.1002/mus.20519 |