Abstract
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are a valuable tool to assess functional integrity of the somatosensory pathways and for the prediction of sensorimotor outcome in perinatal injuries, such as perinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). In the present research, we studied the translational potential of SSEPs together with sensory function in the male adult rat with perinatal HI compared to the male healthy adult rat. Both somatosensory response and evoked potential were measured at 10-11 months after global perinatal HI. Clear evoked potentials were obtained, but there were no group differences in the amplitude or latency of the evoked potentials of the preceding sensory response. The bilateral tactile stimulation test was also normal in both groups. This lack of effect may be ascribed to the late age-of-testing and functional recovery of the rats.
Highlights
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are a valuable tool to assess functional integrity of the somatosensory pathways of the peripheral and central nervous systems [1]
SSEPs are suited to evaluate patients suffering from more severe forms of disability such as cerebral palsy (CP), in whom neurological deficits might reflect disruption of motor as well as sensory connections [8,9], suggesting a neural network disorder
Our experimental group is a cohort of male adult rats that recovered from moderate global perinatal HI and showed cognitive as well as motor abnormalities within the spectrum of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 6–8 months [14]
Summary
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are a valuable tool to assess functional integrity of the somatosensory pathways of the peripheral and central nervous systems [1]. SSEPs are suited to evaluate patients suffering from more severe forms of disability such as cerebral palsy (CP), in whom neurological deficits might reflect disruption of motor as well as sensory connections [8,9], suggesting a neural network disorder Both motor and behavioral skills involve the process of receiving a sensory input. Previous studies using this model of global perinatal preterm HI demonstrated that severe HI (submersion lasting for 19–20 min) decreased locomotor activity in the adult rat, while milder HI insults might increase locomotion [12,13] In this respect, our experimental group is a cohort of male adult rats that recovered from moderate global perinatal HI and showed cognitive (memory) as well as motor abnormalities (hyperactivity) within the spectrum of ADHD at the age of 6–8 months [14].
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