Amantadine sulfate infusion effect on N30 somatosensory evoked potentials in Parkinson's disease

Brain Networks Involved in Sensory Perception in Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review

Parkinson's Disease (PD) has historically been considered a disorder of motor dysfunction. However, a growing number of studies have demonstrated sensory abnormalities in PD across the modalities of proprioceptive, tactile, visual, auditory and temporal perception. A better understanding of these may inform future drug and neuromodulation therapy. We analysed these studies using a scoping review. In total, 101 studies comprising 2853 human participants (88 studies) and 125 animals (13 studies), published between 1982 and 2022, were included. These highlighted the importance of the basal ganglia in sensory perception across all modalities, with an additional role for the integration of multiple simultaneous sensation types. Numerous studies concluded that sensory abnormalities in PD result from increased noise in the basal ganglia and increased neuronal receptive field size. There is evidence that sensory changes in PD and impaired sensorimotor integration may contribute to motor abnormalities.

N30 Somatosensory Evoked Potential Is Negatively Correlated with Motor Function in Parkinson's Disease

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate frontal N30 status in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to examine the correlation between the amplitude of frontal N30 and the severity of motor deficits.

Methods

The frontal N30 was compared between 17 PD patients and 18 healthy volunteers. Correlations between the amplitude of frontal N30 and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score of the more severely affected side was examined.

Results

The mean latency of the N30 was not significantly different between patients and healthy volunteers (p = 0.981), but the mean amplitude was lower in PD patients (p < 0.025). There was a significant negative correlation between the amplitude of N30 and the UPDRS motor score (r = -0.715, p = 0.013).

Conclusions

The frontal N30 status indicates the motor severity of PD. It can be a useful biomarker reflecting dopaminergic deficits and an objective measurement for monitoring the clinical severity of PD.