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Medicina (B Aires) 2019 ;79 Suppl 1:51-56

Facultad de Medicina. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. España.

To evaluate attentional processes to visual stimuli that do not require motor response, a study with evoked potentials was carried out on 17 children with attention deficit disorder predominantly inattentive (ADDH-I) and 15 controls between the ages of 7 and 11 years. The latency and localization of sources of the early visual evoked potentials P100 and N100 were analyzed during the performance of a visual oddball task (20% horizontal and 80% vertical lines) where the vertical lines did not require motor response. The results indicate that ADDH-I group process visual information that does not require motor response with a greater increase in brain activity and through the ventral temporal pathway, while the control group does so by means of the dorsal parietal stream. Read More

Clin Rehabil 2019 Feb 18:269215519829897. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

3 Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Objective:: The primary aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on limb movement recovery post-stroke and cortex excitability, to explore the optimal parameters of rTMS and suitable stroke population. Second, adverse events were also included.

Data Sources:: The databases of PubMed, EBSCO, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EBM Reviews-Cochrane Database, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Chinese Science and Technology Journals Database were searched for randomized controlled trials exploring the effects of rTMS on limb motor function recovery post-stroke before December 2018. Read More

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2019 Jan 19. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Department of Anesthesiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.

Brain Sci 2019 Feb 14;9(2). Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C5S7, Canada.

Background: The present study compared corticospinal excitability to the biceps brachii muscle during arm cycling at a self-selected and a fixed cadence (SSC and FC, respectively). We hypothesized that corticospinal excitability would not be different between the two conditions.

Methods: The SSC was initially performed and the cycling cadence was recorded every 5 s for one minute. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Jan 25;130(4):439-444. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Neurology, Neurophysiology and Neurobiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Objective: The pathophysiology of epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) is still unclear, a thalamo-cortical circuit dysfunction has been hypothesized. The aim of present study is the functional evaluation of the thalamo-cortical network in EPC by means of the study of low- and high-frequency somatosensory evoked potentials (LF-SEP and HF-SEP).

Methods: Median LF-SEP and HF-SEP were recorded in 3 patients with EPC and in 2 patients with rolandic lesions without EPC (non-EPC). Read More

Mol Cell Neurosci 2019 Feb 11;95:59-70. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States of America; Neuroscience Program, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States of America. Electronic address:

Increasing evidence indicates that, first, the sympathetic nervous system interacts extensively with both vasculature and skeletal muscle fibers near neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and, second, its neurotransmitter, noradrenaline, influences myofiber molecular composition and function and motor innervation. Since sympathomimetic agents have been reported to improve NMJ transmission, we examined whether two in clinical use, salbutamol and clenbuterol, affect the motor axon terminal via extracellular Ca and molecular targets, such as TRPV1 and P/Q- and N-type voltage-activated Ca channels. Electrophysiological recordings in ex-vivo preparations of peroneal nerves and lumbricalis muscles from young adult mice focused on spontaneous miniature end-plate potentials and singly and repetitively evoked end-plate potentials. Read More

Neural Regen Res 2019 Jun;14(6):1025-1028

Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno; Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy.

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. Read More

J Neural Eng 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Biomedical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES.

Objective: Recovery of voluntary gait after spinal cord injury (SCI) requires the restoration of effective motor cortical commands, either by means of a mechanical connection to the limbs, or by restored functional connections to muscles. The latter approach might use functional electrical stimulation (FES), driven by cortical activity, to restore voluntary movements. Moreover, there is evidence that this peripheral stimulation, synchronized with patients' voluntary effort, can strengthen descending projections and recovery. Read More

Elife 2019 Feb 11;8. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States.

Layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) are sparsely active, spontaneously and during sensory stimulation. Long-range inputs from higher areas may gate L2/3 activity. We investigated their in vivo impact by expressing channelrhodopsin in three main sources of feedback to rat S1: primary motor cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, and secondary somatosensory thalamic nucleus (the posterior medial nucleus, POm). Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 Feb 8:1-9. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine.

OBJECTIVEIntraoperative neuromonitoring may be valuable for predicting postoperative neurological complications, and transcranial motor evoked potentials (TcMEPs) are the most reliable monitoring modality with high sensitivity. One of the most frequent problems of TcMEP monitoring is the high rate of false-positive alerts, also called "anesthetic fade." The purpose of this study was to clarify the risk factors for false-positive TcMEP alerts and to find ways to reduce false-positive rates. Read More

J Appl Physiol (1985) 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, United Kingdom.

The aim of this study was to assess differences in motor performance, as well as corticospinal and spinal responses to transcranial magnetic and percutaneous nerve stimulation, respectively, during submaximal isometric, shortening and lengthening contractions between younger and older adults. Fifteen younger (26 ± 4 yrs, 7 females) and 14 older (64 ± 3 yrs, 5 females) adults performed isometric, and shortening and lengthening dorsiflexion on an isokinetic dynamometer (5°·s) at 25 and 50% of contraction type specific maximums. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and H-reflexes were recorded at anatomical zero. Read More

J Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.

Purpose: Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor responses have been considered to mainly reflect the electrophysiological characteristics of the central motor system. However, certain motor phenomena, such as the magnitude of repetition suppression measured with motor evoked potentials (MEPs), could also in part be influenced by metabolic processes in the peripheral muscles and in both the peripheral and central nervous system. Repetition suppression is an inhibitory phenomenon in which the amplitude of MEP decreases in comparison to that of the first MEP in a train of transcranial magnetic stimulation pulses. Read More

Eur J Neurol 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

IRCCS Neuromed Institute, Pozzilli, IS.

Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by 4R-tau protein deposition in several brain regions that clinically manifests itself as a heterogeneous atypical parkinsonism typically expressing in the adulthood. The prototypical clinical phenotype of CBD is corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Important insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying motor and higher cortical symptoms in CBS have been gained by using advanced neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques. Read More

Neurol Sci 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Brain Plasticity Lab, Department of Physical Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.

Objectives: Aerobic exercise can promote neuroplastic responses in the healthy and injured brain. Although the role of exercise in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is debated, new evidence suggests that exercise may reduce disease progression. While common exercise modalities such as the treadmill and cycle ergometer have been explored in ALS, the safety and feasibility of a total body recumbent stepper have not been investigated. Read More

Neuroscience 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Dept. of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The aims of the study were to compare effects of baclofen, a GABA receptor agonist commonly used as an antispastic drug, on direct current (DC) evoked long-lasting changes in the excitability of afferent fibers traversing the dorsal columns and their terminal branches in the spinal cord, and to examine whether baclofen interferes with the development and expression of these changes. The experiments were performed on deeply anesthetized rats by analyzing the effects of DC before, during and following baclofen administration. Muscle and skin afferent fibers within the dorsal columns were stimulated epidurally and changes in their excitability were investigated following epidural polarization by 1. Read More

Cortex 2018 Dec 24;113:239-254. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Laboratory of Motor Control, Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Humanitas Research Hospital, IRCCS, Milano, Italy. Electronic address:

The cortical area within the human primary motor cortex (M1) that hosts the representation of the hand and fingers is known as the 'hand-knob' and is essential for voluntary hand movement. The anatomo-functional heterogeneity described within the monkey primary motor cortex (M1) in a rostro-caudal direction suggests an internal subdivision in two sectors originating different systems of connections to the spinal cord. Direct investigation of the human hand-knob has been prevented, so far, by methodological constraints. Read More

Front Hum Neurosci 2019 17;13. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Sports Science Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

The prediction of upcoming perturbation modulates postural responses in the ankle muscles. The effects of this prediction on postural responses vary according to predictable factors. When the amplitude of perturbation can be predicted, the long-latency response is set at an appropriate size for the required response, whereas when the direction of perturbation can be predicted, there is no effect. Read More

J Prosthodont Res 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Section of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Aarhus University, Department of Dentistry, Aarhus, Denmark; Scandinavian Center for Orofacial Neurosciences (SCON), Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.

Purpose: To investigate if sleep bruxism (SB) influences training-induced cortical plasticity and performance in terms of accuracy and precision of a tooth-clenching task (TCT).

Methods: Thirty-eight participants were allocated into SB group (N=19) and control group (N=19) according to presence of SB based on a 2-week screening. The participants were instructed to perform a standardized TCT for 58min at three different force levels (10%, 20% and 40% of maximum voluntary contraction; MVC) in three series (first and third without visual-feedback and second with visual-feedback). Read More

Int J Psychophysiol 2019 Jan 29;138:38-46. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192, Japan.

Our own ongoing motor actions are perceived through sensory feedback pathways, and are integrated with neural processes to modulate further actions. This sensory feedback mechanism is known to contribute to the rehabilitation of impaired motor functions. Recent evidence also suggests that mindfulness meditation improves our awareness to sensation; therefore, enhancement of awareness to sensory feedback through mindfulness meditation training may have potential clinical applications. Read More

J Neurophysiol 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Neurology, University of Tubingen, Germany.

Doxapram is a respiratory stimulant used for decades as a treatment option in apnea of prematurity (AOP) refractory to methylxanthine treatment. Its mode of action, however, is still poorly understood. We investigated direct effects of doxapram on the PreBötzinger complex (PreBötC) and on a downstream motor output system, the hypoglossal nucleus (XII), in the transverse brainstem slice preparation. Read More

J Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Departments of Clinical Neurophysiology and.

Purpose: Monitoring of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) serves as an early warning system to detect spinal cord injury and is correlated with postoperative sensory findings. It is an indirect indicator of motor function. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of intraoperative SSEPs monitoring as a stand-alone tool during spinal surgeries when motor evoked potentials are not available, to prevent and predict new postoperative neurologic deficits. Read More

Exp Physiol 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Corticospinal excitability to biceps brachii is known to modulate according to upper-limb posture. Here, cervicomedullary stimulation was used to investigate potential spinal contributions to elbow angle dependent changes in corticospinal excitability at rest. What is the main finding and its importance? At more extended elbow angles, biceps responses to cervicomedullary stimulation were decreased, whereas cortically-evoked responses (normalised to cervicomedullary-evoked responses) were increased. Read More

PLoS One 2019 25;14(1):e0211367. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Unidad de Trastornos del Movimiento, Servicio de Neurología y Neurofisiología Clínica, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.

There is increasing evidence that supports the role of the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of dystonia. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to test the hypothesis that patients with cervical dystonia may have a disrupted cerebellar cortical connectivity at rest, and that cerebellar plasticity is altered too. We enrolled 12 patients with isolated cervical dystonia and 13 controls. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2019 Feb 13;17(2):1256-1261. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Neurosurgery, Chengyang People's Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong 266109, P.R. China.

Application value of the minimally invasive puncture and small bone window craniotomy in hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage was investigated to explore the effects of the above treatment methods on motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and postoperative rehemorrhage. Patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage who were admitted to Chengyang People's Hospital from March 2016 to December 2017 were selected and randomly divided into the minimally invasive group (n=40) and the craniotomy group (n=40). The minimally invasive group was treated with minimally invasive puncture and drainage for hematomas, while the craniotomy group received small bone window craniotomy for evacuation of hematomas. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Jan 24;9(1):626. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Laboratory of Psychology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.

The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor cortical excitability are highly variable between individuals. Inter-individual differences in the electric fields generated in the brain by tDCS might play a role in the variability. Here, we explored whether these fields are related to excitability changes following anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex (M1). Read More

J Neurophysiol 2019 Jan 23. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

University of Miami, United States.

The corticospinal pathway contributes to the control of grasping in intact humans. Although after spinal cord injury (SCI) there is an extensive reorganization in the corticospinal pathway, its contribution to the control of grasping remains poorly understood. We addressed this question by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the hand representation of the motor cortex to elicit motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in an intrinsic finger muscle during precision grip and power grip with the TMS coil oriented to induce currents in the brain in the latero-medial (LM) direction to activate corticospinal axons directly and in the posterior-anterior (PA) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions to activate the axon indirectly through synaptic inputs in humans with and without cervical incomplete SCI. Read More

Ann Neurol 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Objective: Recently identified mutations of the axon guidance molecule receptor gene, DCC, present an opportunity to investigate, in living human brain, mechanisms affecting neural connectivity and the basis of mirror movements, involuntary contralateral responses that mirror voluntary unilateral actions. We hypothesized that haploinsufficient DCC mutation carriers with mirror movements would exhibit decreased DCC mRNA expression, a functional ipsilateral corticospinal tract, greater "mirroring" motor representations, and reduced interhemispheric inhibition. DCC mutation carriers without mirror movements might exhibit some of these features. Read More

Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

MINI: We have explored the effects of athermal shortwave diathermy (SWD) in spinal cord injury (SCI). Sprague-Dawley rats received athermal SWD treatment at 24 hours after SCI. The Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scales and somatosensory evoked potentials and motor evoked potentials were used to measure changes of neurological function. Read More

Psychophysiology 2019 Jan 21:e13332. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Center for the Study of Emotion & Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Visual features associated with a task and those that predict noxious events both prompt selectively heightened visuocortical responses. Conflicting views exist regarding how the competition between a task-related and a threat-related feature is resolved when they co-occur in time and space. Utilizing aversive classical Pavlovian conditioning, we investigated the visuocortical representation of two simultaneously presented, fully overlapping visual stimuli. Read More

Front Physiol 2018 4;9:1788. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy for patients disabling motor symptoms from Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and other motor disorders. Precise, individualized placement of DBS electrodes is a key contributor to clinical outcomes following surgery. Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used to identify the sources of intracerebral signals from the potential on the scalp. Read More

J Pain 2019 Jan 17. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.. Electronic address:

Sensorimotor cortical activity is altered in both the immediate acute and chronic stages of musculoskeletal pain. However, these changes are opposite, with decreased cortical activity reported in experimentally induced acute pain (lasting minutes to hours), and increased cortical activity in chronic, clinical pain (lasting >6 months). It is unknown whether sensorimotor cortical activity is altered in acute, clinical musculoskeletal pain (lasting <4 weeks). Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Jan 16. Epub 2019 Jan 16.

Department of Neurosurgery, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Background: Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCT) comprise the least common types of spinal neoplasms; surgery is mostly conducted with intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM). However, although IONM is widely used to prevent neurological damage and many single-center studies have been published, the added value, in terms of overall sensitivity and specificity, of different monitoring techniques used in IMSCT surgery, remains to be clearly defined.

Object: Summarize and review the published evidence on the use of IONM in IMSCT surgery, including our own case series (n=75 patients). Read More

Int J Psychophysiol 2019 Jan 17. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America; Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, United States of America. Electronic address:

The stop-signal task (SST) is used to study action-stopping in the laboratory. In SSTs, the P3 event-related potential following stop-signals is considered to be a neural index of motor inhibition. However, a similar P3 deflection is often observed following infrequent events in non-inhibition tasks. Read More

Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2019 Jan 1;6(1):68-82. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

ICORD University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada.

Objective: The objective was to track and compare the progression of neuroplastic changes in a large animal model and humans with spinal cord injury.

Methods: A total of 37 individuals with acute traumatic spinal cord injury were followed over time (1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-injury) with repeated neurophysiological assessments. Somatosensory and motor evoked potentials were recorded in the upper extremities above the level of injury. Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Jan 11:1-7. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to predict postoperative facial nerve function during pontine cavernous malformation surgery by monitoring facial motor evoked potentials (FMEPs).METHODSFrom 2008 to 2017, 10 patients with pontine cavernous malformations underwent total resection via the trans-fourth ventricle floor approach with FMEP monitoring. House-Brackmann grades and Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores were obtained pre- and postoperatively. Read More

J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.

Objectives: The authors investigated the association between intraoperative motor-evoked potential (MEP) changes and the severity of spinal cord infarction diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to clarify the discrepancy between them, which was observed in patients with postoperative motor deficits after thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery.

Design: A multicenter retrospective study.

Setting: Motor-evoked potential <25% of control values was deemed positive for spinal cord ischemia. Read More

Neurophysiol Clin 2019 Feb 8;49(1):19-25. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio", via L. Polacchi 11, 66100 Chieti, Italy. Electronic address:

Background And Objective: Application parameters of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for therapeutic purposes are relatively restricted. The aim of this study was to assess safety and effects on motor cortex excitability of an intensive anodal-tDCS protocol.

Methods: In 26 healthy subjects, five 15-minute anodal-tDCS sessions were delivered, at increasing time intervals, over 24hours. Read More

J ECT 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory Department of Physiotherapy School of Primary and Allied Health Care Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science Monash University Melbourne, Australia. Department of Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Sport School of Allied Health La Trobe University Melbourne, Australia. Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory Department of Physiotherapy School of Primary and Allied Health Care Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science Monash University Melbourne, Australia.

J Neurol 2019 Mar 10;266(3):667-679. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Institute of Neuroscience, Medical School, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.

Mills' syndrome is an idiopathic, slowly progressive, spastic hemiparesis. We describe three cases that have been under review for a minimum of 11 years (range 11-19). In all patients, symptoms started in a leg, with a mean age of onset of 59 years (range 53-63). Read More

Neurosci Lett 2019 Jan 7;698:85-89. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

Macquarie University Cognitive Science Department, Sydney, Australia.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) allows for the monitoring of motor cortex dynamics in preparation for response. Using this method, it has previously been shown that motor evoked potentials (MEPs) are suppressed as a response approaches. In the current article, we applied TMS while participants either relaxed or contracted their first dorsal interosseous muscle. Read More

J Physiol 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA.

Key Points: Using 'sniffer' cell biosensors, we evaluated the effects of specific firing patterns and frequencies on activity-dependent somatodendritic release of vasopressin from paraventricular nucleus neurones. Somatodendritic release of vasopressin was rarely observed during continuous firing but was strengthened by clustered activity. Moreover, release evoked at any given frequency was robustly potentiated by NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated firing. Read More

Neuropsychologia 2019 Jan 6;125:51-61. Epub 2019 Jan 6.

Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, Australia.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been investigated as a way to improve motor and cognitive functioning, with largely variable results. Currently, relatively little is known about the neurobiological effects, and possible drivers of variability, in either healthy or clinical populations. Therefore, this study aimed to characterise the neurobiological effects to tDCS in younger adults, older adults and adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and their relationship to cognitive performance. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2019 10;4:1-8. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Sirio Libanês Hospital, Rua Barata Ribeiro, 414, cj 63, São Paulo, SP 01308-000, Brazil.

Objectives: To determine whether high-frequency 250-500 Hz monopolar stimulation is effective for mapping cortical and subcortical language structures during brain tumor resection.

Methods: Using high-frequency monopolar stimulation, we mapped the speech areas of 41 awake patients undergoing brain tumor resection in the dominant hemisphere, subject to risk of lesions in the cortical and subcortical speech tracts. Patients were tested for object naming, semantic and other language tasks. Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 13;12:954. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Neurology & Stroke, and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Ongoing brain activity has been implicated in the modulation of cortical excitability. The combination of electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a real-time triggered setup is a novel method for testing hypotheses about the relationship between spontaneous neuronal oscillations, cortical excitability, and synaptic plasticity. For this method, a reliable real-time extraction of the neuronal signal of interest from scalp EEG with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is of crucial importance. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2019 Mar 8;35(3):529-533. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.

Purpose: It is well known that the preoperative enlarged sac in occult spinal dysraphism, in which the spinal cord is attached to its dome, can be associated with neurological deficits by aggravation of spinal cord traction. We experienced a similar phenomenon during the early stage of untethering surgery for "lipomyelomeningocele in a strict sense (LMMC)."

Clinical Presentation: We report a case of a 3-month-old girl with LMMC, which showed decreased motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the lower extremities during the early stage of untethering surgery. Read More

Dysphagia 2019 Jan 8. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ice applied to the oral cavity on the excitability of corticobulbar projections to the swallowing muscles. The subjects were 8 healthy adult volunteers (mean age 29.0 ± 4. Read More

Brain Stimul 2018 Dec 23. Epub 2018 Dec 23.

Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Campus SUVA, Sion, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: When single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) with sufficient intensity, it evokes muscular contractions (motor-evoked potentials, MEPs) and muscle twitches (TMS-evoked movements). Participants may also report various hand sensations related to TMS, but the perception elicited by TMS and its relationship to MEPs and evoked movements has not been systematically studied.

Objective: The main aim of this work is to evaluate participants' kinesthetic and somatosensory hand perceptions elicited by single-pulse TMS over M1-hand area at different intensities of stimulation and their relation with MEPs and TMS-evoked movements. Read More

Acta Neurochir Suppl 2019 ;125:369-380

Institute of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Verona, Italy.

Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) surgery encompasses a wide spectrum of neurosurgical procedures ranging from transoral approaches for CVJ bone anomalies to surgery for intramedullary tumours. Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) has been increasingly used in recent years because of its ability to prevent neurological complications during surgery. In CVJ surgery the risk of neurological injuries is related first to the positioning of the patient and then to the surgical procedure. Read More

Exp Brain Res 2019 Jan 4. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia -Okanagan, 1147 Research Road, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada.

Movement complexity is known to increase reaction time (RT). More recently, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex has revealed that movement complexity can alter corticospinal excitability. However, the impact of a sequential addition of movement components on corticospinal excitability during the preparatory phase of a simple RT task is unknown. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(1):e13993

Department of Neurology, Third Central Hospital of Tianjin.

Respiratory failure is common during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). Phrenic nerve conduction (PNC), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and cervical magnetic stimulation (CMS) are of great value in identifying the feature and site of AE-COPD.PNC, TMS, and CMS were performed in 20 AE-COPD patients with respiratory failure, and re-examined after weaning. Read More