Sympathetic skin responses from postauricular region in Meniere’s disease

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology Vol. 118; no. 9; pp. 1991 - 1998
• Main Authors: Yildiz, Serpil Kuyucu, Koybasi, Serap, Turkoglu, Sule Aydın, Yildiz, Nebil, Korkmaz, Bektas, Akyurek, Fatma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.09.2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Autonomic dysfunction; Biological and medical sciences; Ear - physiopathology; Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology; Electric Stimulation; Electrical stimulation; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Female; Galvanic Skin Response; Head; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Median Nerve - physiopathology; Medical sciences; Meniere Disease - physiopathology; Meniere’s disease; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Neurology; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Postauricular SSR; Reaction Time; Sympathetic Nervous System - physiopathology; Sympathetic skin response; Wrist - innervation; Electrical stimulation; Autonomic dysfunction; Sympathetic skin response; Meniere’s disease; Postauricular SSR; Human; Statistical analysis; Internal ear disease; Electrical stimulus; Sympathetic nervous system; Wrist; Electrodiagnosis; Meniere's disease; Autonomic nervous system; Dysfunction; Median nerve; ENT disease; Diagnosis; Meniere disease
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2007.05.069

Abstract Objective To investigate the sympathetic nervous system activity in Meniere’s disease (MD) by recording sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) from the postauricular region (PA). Methods Twenty-one patients with definite unilateral MD diagnosis and 12 healthy volunteers were studied by evoking right and left PA-SSRs with electrical stimulation of the left median nerve at the wrist in attack and interval periods of MD. Mean latencies and maximum amplitudes were used in statistical analyses. Results In unilateral definite MD patients, the mean latencies were longer and the maximum amplitudes were smaller on the involved ear side than those on the normal ear side ( p < 0.01 for both amplitude and latency) and than those from the controls ( p < 0.01 and p < 0.05). In three patients, there was no detectable PA-SSR on the involved ear side while there were SSRs on the healthy side. In four patients, the responses were absent bilaterally during the attack period. Conclusions There is a marked asymmetric sympathetic hypofunction in the area of the PA region of the involved ear in MD patients. Significance The PA region is a new site for recording sympathetic skin responses. PA-SSR is a useful tool to investigate sympathetic nervous system function in MD patients.