Article

Paraspinal and limb motor neuron involvement within homologous spinal segments in ALS.

Department of Neurology, St. Maria Hospital, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal.
Clinical Neurophysiology (impact factor: 3.41). 08/2008; 119(7):1607-13. DOI:10.1016/j.clinph.2008.03.014 pp.1607-13
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT We studied the involvement of motor neuron groups innervating paraspinal muscles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and evaluated the value of paraspinal muscle EMG in the diagnosis of the disease.
We used quantitative concentric needle EMG to study denervation and reinnervation in a paraspinal muscle and a limb muscle innervated by the C6 and L5 segments in 32 patients with ALS. As control subjects we studied 11 patients with peripheral neuropathy, and 46 non-neurogenic control subjects.
We found similar abnormalities in motor-unit potentials (MUPs) in paraspinal and limb muscles in these two segments in ALS. Fasciculation potentials (FPs) were more frequent in limb muscles than in paraspinal muscles and fibrillations and sharp waves (fibs-sw) were most frequent in tibialis anterior. In peripheral neuropathy paraspinal muscles were normal but tibialis anterior showed very abnormal motor unit potentials.
These results are consistent with generalised involvement of motor neurons in motor neuron pools in spinal segments in early stages of ALS progression. However, distally predominant fibrillations indicate susceptibility to ongoing denervation in reinnervated distal axons. Complex FPs of similar morphology to MUP analysis in the same early affected muscle suggests a proximal origin for these FPs at this phase.
Our observations emphasize the value of paraspinal muscle EMG in the electrophysiological diagnosis of ALS.

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    Tadashi Kanouchi, Takuya Ohkubo, Takanori Yokota
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    Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry 04/2012; 83(7):739-45. · 4.87 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

11 patients
 
32 patients
 
46 non-neurogenic control subjects
 
abnormal motor unit potentials
 
affected muscle
 
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
 
control subjects
 
distally predominant fibrillations
 
electrophysiological diagnosis
 
limb muscle innervated
 
motor neurons
 
ongoing denervation
 
paraspinal muscle
 
paraspinal muscle EMG
 
paraspinal muscles
 
peripheral neuropathy paraspinal muscles
 
quantitative concentric needle EMG
 
reinnervated distal axons
 
similar abnormalities
 
study denervation