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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Schwenker K, Kunz AB, Sebastianelli L, Saltuari L, Trinka E, Versace V. Visuomotor integration in early Alzheimer's disease: A TMS study. J Neurol Sci 2022; 434:120129. [PMID: 34998240 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.120129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cortical visuomotor integration is altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD), even at an early stage of the disease. The aim of this study was to assess the connections between the primary visual (V1) and motor (M1) areas in patients with early AD using a paired-pulse, twin-coil transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique. METHODS Visuomotor connections (VMCs) were assessed in 13 subjects with probable AD and 16 healthy control subjects. A conditioning stimulus over the V1 phosphene hotspot was followed at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 18 and 40 ms by a test stimulus over M1, to elicit motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the contralateral first dorsal interosseous muscle. RESULTS Significant effects due to VMCs, consisting of enhanced MEP suppression at ISI of 18 and 40 ms, were observed in the AD patients. Patients with AD showed an excessive inhibitory response of the right M1 to inputs travelling from V1 at given ISIs. CONCLUSIONS This study provides neurophysiological evidence of altered functional connectivity between visual and motor areas in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy; Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Kerstin Schwenker
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Alexander B Kunz
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, UMIT, Hall in Tirol, Austria
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno (SABES-ASDAA), Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy
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Wutzl B, Golaszewski SM, Leibnitz K, Langthaler PB, Kunz AB, Leis S, Schwenker K, Thomschewski A, Bergmann J, Trinka E. Narrative Review: Quantitative EEG in Disorders of Consciousness. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060697. [PMID: 34070647 PMCID: PMC8228474 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we focus on the role of quantitative EEG technology in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and minimally conscious state. This paper is divided into two main parts, i.e., diagnosis and prognosis, each consisting of three subsections, namely, (i) resting-state EEG, including spectral power, functional connectivity, dynamic functional connectivity, graph theory, microstates and nonlinear measurements, (ii) sleep patterns, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, slow-wave sleep and sleep spindles and (iii) evoked potentials, including the P300, mismatch negativity, the N100, the N400 late positive component and others. Finally, we summarize our findings and conclude that QEEG is a useful tool when it comes to defining the diagnosis and prognosis of DOC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty Wutzl
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan; (B.W.); (K.L.)
- Symbiotic Intelligent Systems Research Center, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Stefan M. Golaszewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Kenji Leibnitz
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan; (B.W.); (K.L.)
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Patrick B. Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Team Biostatistics and Big Medical Data, IDA Lab Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Alexander B. Kunz
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Leis
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Kerstin Schwenker
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Aljoscha Thomschewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jürgen Bergmann
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Affiliated Member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; (S.M.G.); (P.B.L.); (A.B.K.); (S.L.); (K.S.); (A.T.); (J.B.)
- Karl Landsteiner Institute for Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Center, and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-5-7255-34600
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Thomschewski A, Gerner N, Langthaler PB, Trinka E, Bathke AC, Fell J, Höller Y. Automatic vs. Manual Detection of High Frequency Oscillations in Intracranial Recordings From the Human Temporal Lobe. Front Neurol 2020; 11:563577. [PMID: 33192999 PMCID: PMC7604344 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.563577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: High frequency oscillations (HFOs) have attracted great interest among neuroscientists and epileptologists in recent years. Not only has their occurrence been linked to epileptogenesis, but also to physiologic processes, such as memory consolidation. There are at least two big challenges for HFO research. First, detection, when performed manually, is time consuming and prone to rater biases, but when performed automatically, it is biased by artifacts mimicking HFOs. Second, distinguishing physiologic from pathologic HFOs in patients with epilepsy is problematic. Here we automatically and manually detected HFOs in intracranial EEGs (iEEG) of patients with epilepsy, recorded during a visual memory task in order to assess the feasibility of the different detection approaches to identify task-related ripples, supporting the physiologic nature of HFOs in the temporal lobe. Methods: Ten patients with unclear seizure origin and bilaterally implanted macroelectrodes took part in a visual memory consolidation task. In addition to iEEG, scalp EEG, electrooculography (EOG), and facial electromyography (EMG) were recorded. iEEG channels contralateral to the suspected epileptogenic zone were inspected visually for HFOs. Furthermore, HFOs were marked automatically using an RMS detector and a Stockwell classifier. We compared the two detection approaches and assessed a possible link between task performance and HFO occurrence during encoding and retrieval trials. Results: HFO occurrence rates were significantly lower when events were marked manually. The automatic detection algorithm was greatly biased by filter-artifacts. Surprisingly, EOG artifacts as seen on scalp electrodes appeared to be linked to many HFOs in the iEEG. Occurrence rates could not be associated to memory performance, and we were not able to detect strictly defined "clear" ripples. Conclusion: Filtered graphoelements in the EEG are known to mimic HFOs and thus constitute a problem. So far, in invasive EEG recordings mostly technical artifacts and filtered epileptiform discharges have been considered as sources for these "false" HFOs. The data at hand suggests that even ocular artifacts might bias automatic detection in invasive recordings. Strict guidelines and standards for HFO detection are necessary in order to identify artifact-derived HFOs, especially in conditions when cognitive tasks might produce a high amount of artifacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aljoscha Thomschewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria,Department of Mathematics, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,*Correspondence: Aljoscha Thomschewski
| | - Nathalie Gerner
- Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Patrick B. Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria,Department of Mathematics, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Arne C. Bathke
- Department of Mathematics, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria,Intelligent Data Analytics Lab Salzburg, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jürgen Fell
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland
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Versace V, Schwenker K, Langthaler PB, Golaszewski S, Sebastianelli L, Brigo F, Pucks-Faes E, Saltuari L, Nardone R. Facilitation of Auditory Comprehension After Theta Burst Stimulation of Wernicke's Area in Stroke Patients: A Pilot Study. Front Neurol 2020; 10:1319. [PMID: 31969857 PMCID: PMC6960103 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.01319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and high-frequency repetitive TMS (rTMS) over Wernicke's area were found to facilitate language functions in right-handed healthy subjects. We aimed at investigating the effects of excitatory rTMS, given as intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) over left Wernicke's area, on auditory comprehension in patients suffering from fluent aphasia after stroke of the left temporal lobe. Methods: We studied 13 patients with chronic fluent aphasia after an ischemic stroke involving Wernicke's area. iTBS was applied in random order to Wernicke's area, the right-hemisphere homologous of Wernicke's area, and the primary visual cortex. Auditory comprehension was blind assessed using the Token test before (T0), 5 (T1), and 40 min (T2) after a single session of iTBS. Results: At the first evaluation (T1) after iTBS on left Wernike's area, but not on the contralateral homologous area nor on the primary visual cortex, the scores on the Token test were significantly increased. No significant effects were observed at T2. Conclusion: We demonstrated that a single session of excitatory iTBS over Wernicke's area was safe and led to a transient facilitation of auditory comprehension in chronic stroke patients with lesions in the same area. Further studies are needed to establish whether TBS-induced modulation can be enhanced and transformed into longer-lasting effects by means of repeated TBS sessions and by combining TBS with speech and language therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hopsital of Vipiteno-Sterzing, Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy.,Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Kerstin Schwenker
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Golaszewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hopsital of Vipiteno-Sterzing, Vipiteno-Sterzing, Italy.,Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Leopold Saltuari
- Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
| | - Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Höller Y, Golaszewski S, Versace V, Sebastianelli L, Brigo F, Saltuari L, Trinka E. Role of human prefrontal cortex in the modulation of conditioned eyeblink responses. Behav Brain Res 2019; 374:112027. [PMID: 31212058 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Classical conditioning of the eyeblink reflex (EBC) is a simple form of associative motor learning. EBC is heavily dependent on cerebellar function, but experimental studies also suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) orchestrates a neuronal network which interacts with the cerebellum to mediate the conditioned eyeblink responses (CR). To further investigate the role of PFC for EBC in humans, we aimed in this study at assessing whether acquisition of CR can be modulated by focal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) given as theta burst stimulation (TBS) over the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC). A standard delay conditioning paradigm with a 540 ms tone as conditioned stimulus (CS) coterminating with a 100 ms air puff as unconditioned stimulus (US) was used in a total of 60 healthy subjects (35 female, 25 male, mean age 28.4 ± 2.4 years). One hundred paired CS-US trials and 30 extinction CS alone trials were given. TBS was applied over the DLPFC ipsilaterally to the US during the acquisition phase. Subjects were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 20) using excitatory intermittent TBS (iTBS), inhibitory continuous TBS (cTBS) or sham stimulation. CR acquisition was significantly enhanced by iTBS (mean total CR incidence 63.1 ± 6.5%) and significantly reduced by cTBS (13 ± 2%) compared to sham stimulation (25.1 ± 6.7%). We provide thus physiological evidence that the acquisition of this type of associative learning is critically modulated by PFC activity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Golaszewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, UMIT, Hall in Tirol, Austria
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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Orioli A, Versace V, Scarano GI, Brigo F, Saltuari L, Carnicelli L, Trinka E, Sebastianelli L. Ipsilateral motor evoked potentials in a patient with unihemispheric cortical atrophy due to Rasmussen encephalitis. Neural Regen Res 2019; 14:1025-1028. [PMID: 30762014 PMCID: PMC6404490 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.250581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of the ipsilaterally descending motor pathways in the recovery mechanisms after unilateral hemispheric damage is still poorly understood. Motor output reorganization was investigated in a 56-year-old male patient with acquired unilateral hemispheric atrophy due to Rasmussen encephalitis. In particular, the ipsilateral corticospinal pathways were explored using focal transcranial magnetic stimulation. In the first dorsal interosseous and wrist extensors muscles, the median amplitudes of the ipsilateral motor evoked potentials induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation in the patient were higher than those of 10 age-matched healthy control subjects. In the biceps brachii muscle, the median amplitudes of the ipsilateral motor evoked potentials were the second largest in the patient compared to the controls. This study demonstrated a reinforcement of ipsilateral motor projections from the unaffected motor cortex to the hemiparetic hand in a subject with acquired unihemispheric cortical damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center; Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Andrea Orioli
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
| | - Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano; Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy; Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
| | - Luca Carnicelli
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University; Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences Salzburg, Salzburg; University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, UMIT, Hall in Tirol, Austria
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
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7
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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Orioli A, Höller P, Höller Y, Frey VN, Brigo F, Trinka E. Effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation on spasticity after spinal cord injury. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2018; 35:287-294. [PMID: 28598858 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-160701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Spasticity is a common disorder in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a safe, non-invasive and well-tolerated protocol of excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), is effective in modulating spasticity in SCI patients. METHODS In this randomized, double-blind, crossover, sham-controlled study, ten subjects with incomplete cervical or thoracic SCI received 10 days of daily sessions of real or sham iTBS. The H/M amplitude ratio of the Soleus H reflex, the amplitude of the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) at rest and during background contraction, as well as Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and the Spinal Cord Injury Assessment Tool for Spasticity (SCAT) were compared before and after the stimulation protocols. RESULTS Patients receiving real iTBS showed significant increased resting and active MEPs amplitude and a significant reduction of the H/M amplitude ratio. In these patients also the MAS and SCAT scores were significantly reduced after treatment. These changes persisted up to 1 week after the end of the iTBS treatment, and were not observed under the sham-TBS condition. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that iTBS may be a promising therapeutic tool for the spasticity in SCI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Andrea Orioli
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
| | - Peter Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Vanessa N Frey
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
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8
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Versace V, Langthaler PB, Höller Y, Frey VN, Brigo F, Sebastianelli L, Saltuari L, Nardone R. Abnormal cortical neuroplasticity induced by paired associative stimulation after traumatic spinal cord injury: A preliminary study. Neurosci Lett 2018; 664:167-171. [PMID: 29138092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 10/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We aimed at assessing in this pilot study whether patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) show alterations of sensorimotor plasticity within the primary motor cortex (M1). Since learning in human M1 occurs through LTP-like mechanisms, we employed the paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocol by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which is able to induce LTP-like effects in M1, in subjects with chronic SCI. We found that PAS protocol significantly increased corticospinal excitability as long as 30min in healthy subjects and in SCI patients with good motor recovery, while it was followed by a non-significant increase of MEP amplitude in the SCI patients with poor functional recovery. These findings suggest that the level of LTP-like phenomena is correlated with long term recovery and support the correlation between the ability of inducing excitability changes using TMS and the process of motor recovery. Increased cortical plasticity might imply greater capability for neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Sterzing, Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bozen, Italy
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Vanessa N Frey
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Sterzing, Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bozen, Italy
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Sterzing, Sterzing, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Bozen, Italy; Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
| | - Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy.
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9
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Thomschewski A, Ströhlein A, Langthaler PB, Schmid E, Potthoff J, Höller P, Leis S, Trinka E, Höller Y. Imagine There Is No Plegia. Mental Motor Imagery Difficulties in Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:689. [PMID: 29311771 PMCID: PMC5732245 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), imagination of movement is a candidate tool to promote long-term recovery or to control futuristic neuroprostheses. However, little is known about the ability of patients with spinal cord injury to perform this task. It is likely that without the ability to effectively perform the movement, the imagination of movement is also problematic. We therefore examined, whether patients with SCI experience increased difficulties in motor imagery (MI) compared to healthy controls. We examined 7 male patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (aged 23–70 years, median 53) and 20 healthy controls (aged 21–54 years, median 30). All patients had incomplete SCI, with AIS (ASIA Impairment Scale) grades of C or D. All had cervical lesions, except one who had a thoracic injury level. Duration after injury ranged from 3 to 314 months. We performed the Movement Imagery Questionnaire Revised as well as the Beck Depression Inventory in all participants. The self-assessed ability of patients to visually imagine movements ranged from 7 to 36 (Md = 30) and tended to be decreased in comparison to healthy controls (ranged 16–49, Md = 42.5; W = 326.5, p = 0.055). Also, the self-assessed ability of patients to kinesthetically imagine movements (range = 7–35, Md = 31) differed significantly from the control group (range = 23–49, Md = 41; W = 337.5, p = 0.0047). Two patients yielded tendencies for depressive mood and they also reported most problems with movement imagination. Statistical analysis however did not confirm a general relationship between depressive mood and increased difficulty in MI across both groups. Patients with spinal cord injury seem to experience difficulties in imagining movements compared to healthy controls. This result might not only have implications for training and rehabilitation programs, but also for applications like brain-computer interfaces used to control neuroprostheses, which are often based on the brain signals exhibited during the imagination of movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aljoscha Thomschewski
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Anja Ströhlein
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Mathematics, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Schmid
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jonas Potthoff
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Peter Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Leis
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Medical Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Psychology, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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10
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Versace V, Langthaler PB, Sebastianelli L, Höller Y, Brigo F, Orioli A, Saltuari L, Nardone R. Impaired cholinergic transmission in patients with Parkinson's disease and olfactory dysfunction. J Neurol Sci 2017; 377:55-61. [PMID: 28477708 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2017.03.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 03/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory dysfunction represents a frequent and disturbing non-motor manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD). The pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction in PD is still poorly understood. Experimental evidence suggests that olfactory impairment could be related to central cholinergic dysfunction. Short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) technique gives the opportunity to test an inhibitory cholinergic circuit in the human cerebral motor cortex. The objective of the study was to assess the cholinergic function, as measured by SAI, in PD patients with different degrees of olfactory dysfunction. We applied SAI technique in 31 patients with PD. These patients also underwent Olfactory Event-Related Potentials (OERPs) studies to objectively evaluate the olfactory system and a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess the cognitive functions. Absent OERPs indicated a severe olfactory dysfunction in 13 subjects. The presence of OERPs with an alteration in latency and/or amplitude can be considered as a borderline condition of slight alteration of smell and was found in other 15 patients. Only 3 patients showed normal OERPs. SAI was significantly reduced in the PD patients with absent OERPs compared with those with present but abnormal OERPs. Neuropsychological examination showed a mild cognitive impairment in 12 out of 13 PD patients with severe olfactory dysfunction, and in 3 out of the 15 patients with borderline olfactory dysfunction. SAI abnormalities and presence of severe olfactory impairment strongly support the hypothesis of cholinergic dysfunction in some patients with PD, who will probably develop a dementia. Longitudinal studies are required to verify whether SAI abnormalities in PD patients with olfactory dysfunction can predict a future severe cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Versace
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Italy
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Luca Sebastianelli
- Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Italy; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Italy
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Orioli
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
| | - Leopold Saltuari
- Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation of South Tyrol, Italy
| | - Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy.
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11
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Leitinger M, Trinka E, Gardella E, Rohracher A, Kalss G, Qerama E, Höfler J, Hess A, Zimmermann G, Kuchukhidze G, Dobesberger J, Langthaler PB, Beniczky S. Diagnostic accuracy of the Salzburg EEG criteria for non-convulsive status epilepticus: a retrospective study. Lancet Neurol 2016; 15:1054-62. [DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(16)30137-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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12
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Golaszewski S, Langthaler PB, Schwenker K, Florea C, Christova M, Brigo F, Trinka E, Nardone R. Abnormal cortical synaptic plasticity in minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Brain Res Bull 2016; 125:200-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Revised: 07/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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13
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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Bathke AC, Höller Y, Brigo F, Lochner P, Christova M, Trinka E. Effects of passive pedaling exercise on the intracortical inhibition in subjects with spinal cord injury. Brain Res Bull 2016; 124:144-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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14
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Nardone R, Höller Y, Langthaler PB, Lochner P, Golaszewski S, Schwenker K, Brigo F, Trinka E. rTMS of the prefrontal cortex has analgesic effects on neuropathic pain in subjects with spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord 2016; 55:20-25. [DOI: 10.1038/sc.2016.87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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15
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Nardone R, Langthaler PB, Höller Y, Bathke A, Frey VN, Brigo F, Trinka E. Modulation of non-painful phantom sensation in subjects with spinal cord injury by means of rTMS. Brain Res Bull 2015; 118:82-6. [PMID: 26405006 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2015.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
We aimed in this study to investigate whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), given as theta burst stimulation (TBS), can interfere with non-painful phantom sensations in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI). In double-blind, sham-controlled experiments in five subjects with cervical or thoracic traumatic SCI, we evaluated the effects of a single session of inhibitory (continuous) TBS, excitatory (intermittent) TBS, or placebo TBS, on simplex and complex non-painful phantom sensations. The interventions targeted the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1), the primary sensory cortex (S1) and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Measurements were carried out at baseline (T0), 5 min (T1) and 30 min later (T2) after the intervention. Descriptive evaluation of results shows that non-painful phantom sensations were not affected by rTMS applied over M1. Continuous (inhibitory) TBS over S1 induced a short-lasting decrease of simple non-painful phantom sensations, while continuous TBS over PPC induced a short-lasting decrease of both simple and complex phantom sensations. Intermittent (excitatory) TBS over PPC induced a slight increase of non-painful phantom sensations. Tests for significance confirm these observations, but must be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size. In conclusion, non-painful phantom sensations may be associated to a hyperexcitability of PPC and to a lesser extent of S1, which can be normalized by inhibitory rTMS. Our preliminary findings provide further evidence that neuromodulatory techniques are able to reverse phantom sensations not only after limb amputation but also in other conditions characterized by deafferentation such as SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Nardone
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Patrick B Langthaler
- Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Arne Bathke
- Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
| | - Vanessa N Frey
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Francesco Brigo
- Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurological, Neuropsychological, Morphological and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
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16
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Leitinger M, Beniczky S, Rohracher A, Gardella E, Kalss G, Qerama E, Höfler J, Hess Lindberg-Larsen A, Kuchukhidze G, Dobesberger J, Langthaler PB, Trinka E. Salzburg Consensus Criteria for Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus--approach to clinical application. Epilepsy Behav 2015; 49:158-63. [PMID: 26092326 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2015.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Salzburg Consensus Criteria for diagnosis of Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (SCNC) were proposed at the 4th London-Innsbruck Colloquium on status epilepticus in Salzburg (2013). METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the EEGs of 50 consecutive nonhypoxic patients with diagnoses of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) at discharge and 50 consecutive controls with abnormal EEGs in a large university hospital in Austria. We implemented the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society's Standardized Critical Care EEG Terminology, 2012 version (ACNS criteria) to increase the test performance of SCNC. In patients without preexisting epileptic encephalopathy, the following criteria were applied: (1) more than 25 epileptiform discharges (ED) per 10-second epoch, i.e., >2.5/s and (2) patients with EDs ≤ 2.5/s or rhythmic delta/theta activity (RDT) exceeding 0.5/s AND at least one of the additional criteria: (2a) clinical and EEG improvements from antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), (2b) subtle clinical phenomena, or (2c) typical spatiotemporal evolution. In case of fluctuation without evolution or EEG improvement without clinical improvement, "possible NCSE" was diagnosed. For identification of RDT, the following criteria were compared: (test condition A) continuous delta-theta activity without further rules, (B) ACNS criterion for rhythmic delta activity (RDA), and (C) ACNS criteria for RDA and fluctuation. RESULTS False positive rate in controls dropped from 28% (condition A) to 2% (B) (p = 0.00039) and finally to 0% (C) (p = 0.000042). Application of test condition C in the group with NCSE gives one false negative (2%). Various EEG patterns were found in patients with NCSE: (1) 8.2%, (2a) 2%, (2b) 12.2%, and (2c) 32.7%. Possible NCSE was diagnosed based on fluctuations in 57.1% and EEG improvement without clinical improvement in 14.2%. CONCLUSION The modified SCNC with refined definitions including the ACNS terminology leads to clinically relevant and statistically significant reduction of false positive diagnoses of NCSE and to minimal loss in sensitivity. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".
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Affiliation(s)
- M Leitinger
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - S Beniczky
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Danish Epilepsy Centre, Dianalund, Denmark; Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - A Rohracher
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - E Gardella
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Danish Epilepsy Centre, Dianalund, Denmark
| | - G Kalss
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - E Qerama
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - J Höfler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - G Kuchukhidze
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - J Dobesberger
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - P B Langthaler
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria
| | - E Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salzburg, Austria.
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