Somatosensory Disorders Research Articles

Age-associated changes in multimodal pain perception.

Pain sensitivity varies across multimodal somatosensory stimuli that can rely on different conductive fibres, which, when damaged, will lead to neuropathies. However, there is limited research examining the characteristics of perceived pain, particularly as affected by the ageing process, as induced by various somatosensory stimuli that may rely on small or large fibres. Using heat and pressure stimuli on small and large fibres separately on both younger and older adults, this study examined age-associated changes in pain perception by measuring self-reported pain sensitivity, pain threshold and pain discriminability. Heat pain threshold was significantly positively correlated with age, but not pressure pain threshold. Pain threshold increased and pain discriminability decreased in response to heat stimuli in the older participants compared with the younger ones. An age-associated decline in heat pain perception was observed, suggesting an earlier degradation of heat perception. These findings provide new insight into understanding and assessing somatosensory disorders, which can help ageing populations better maintain healthy sensory functioning.

68 The Impact of Pain Catastrophizing on Neuropsychological Performance in Youth with Persistent Post Concussive Symptoms

Objective:Patients with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) experience prolonged recovery (e.g., headache, fatigue, or dizziness) lasting >2 months post injury. These symptoms are thought to be maintained by several biopsychosocial factors including dysregulated stress responses, such as pain catastrophizing, that may drive behavioral avoidance and contribute to mood symptoms and cognitive difficulties. Conditions with similar symptomatology to PPCS (e.g., anxiety disorders, somatosensory disorders, chronic pain, etc.) also exhibit maladaptive thought patterns like pain catastrophizing as well as decrements in certain aspects of cognitive performance; however little is known about how pain catastrophizing might relate to neuropsychological performance in youth with PPCS. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pain catastrophizing and neuropsychological performance in youth participants with PPCS.Participants and Methods:A prospective case-control study design was used to examine 29 participants between the ages of 13 to 23. Participants were divided into two groups: 1) patients with PPCS (2-16 months post-injury; n = 15) and 2) age-matched, non-injured controls (n = 14). Participants completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) to determine degree of catastrophic thinking related to pain experience and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Neuropsychological performance was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and a modified version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) where performance was evaluated by total correct and error type (i.e., commission and omission) across 5 trials. ANCOVA was used to compare group differences in pain catastrophizing and neuropsychological tests scores while controlling for age and linear regressions examined the relationship between PCS total score and each neuropsychological test score while controlling for level of depression.Results:Overall, the PPCS group reported significantly higher levels of pain catastrophizing on the PCS compared to the control group (p < 0.01). For neuropsychological performance, the PPCS group scored significantly lower than the control group on List Learning (p < 0.01), Semantic Fluency (p < 0.05), and List Recall (p < 0.01) on the RBANS and made significantly higher omission errors (but not commission) on the PASAT(p <.01). Higher pain catastrophizing was also associated with poorer neuropsychological performance on the exact same tasks the PPCS group performed worse than controls. There was no significant interaction by group in the impact of PCS scores on neurocognitive performance.Conclusions:Compared to controls, youth PPCS patients reported higher levels of pain catastrophizing. Additionally, pain catastrophizing was associated with poorer neuropsychological performance. These findings suggest that increased pain catastrophizing after head injury could contribute to poorer cognitive performance in youth. As such, interventions that target maladaptive cognitive coping styles like pain catastrophizing may be especially helpful for patients with PPCS.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DISEASE SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY COMMUNITIES AROUND MINE SITES AND GEOTHERMAL MANIFESTATION AREAS IN DRIEN MANGKO VILLAGE, WOYLA DISTRICT, ACEH BARAT DISTRICT

According to WHO, mercury is a metallic element that occurs naturally and is classified into 3 main groups, namely liquid and gas, inorganic mercury such as mercury chloride, mercury acetate, mercury sulfide, and organic mercury. The research was conducted in November involving 32 respondents from gold mining communities and the research location was in Drien Mangko Village, Woyla District, West Aceh Regency. Samples were taken from communities around gold mining in the gold mining area and around the mine. Sample measurement by providing a prepared questionnaire. The results of the research showed that the acute clinical symptoms of the community were that the majority of respondents experienced symptoms of headache and swelling of the salivary glands (18 respondents), vomiting (14 respondents), chest tightness and bloody urine (12 respondents), numbness in the mouth (10 respondents), loose teeth. easy to fall out (9 respondents), difficulty breathing (8 respondents), pelvic pain (6 respondents), nausea (5 respondents), loss of sense of smell (2 respondents) and dark gums (1 respondent). Meanwhile, chronic toxicity symptoms recorded include somatosensory disorders in gold processing workers. The majority of workers experience hearing loss (18 respondents), irritability (5 respondents), and headaches (3 respondents).

A patient with neuropathy and ataxia: what do I have to consider?

An increasing number of peripheral neuro(no)pathies are identified as involving other components of the neurological system, particularly those that further impair balance. Here we aim to outline an evidence-based approach to the diagnosis of patients who present with a somatosensory disorder which also involves at least one other area of neurological impairment such as the vestibular, auditory, or cerebellar systems. Detailed objective investigation of patients who present with sensory impairment, particularly where the degree of imbalance is greater than would be expected, aids the accurate diagnosis of genetic, autoimmune, metabolic, and toxic neurological disease. Diagnosis and management of complex somatosensory disorders benefit from investigation which extends beyond the presenting sensory impairment.

Interventions for perceptual disorders following stroke.

Perception is the ability to understand information from our senses.It allows us to experience and meaningfully interact with our environment. A stroke may impair perception in up to 70% of stroke survivors, leading to distress, increased dependence on others, and poorer quality of life.Interventions to address perceptual disorders may include assessment and screening, rehabilitation, non-invasive brain stimulation, pharmacological and surgical approaches. To assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at perceptual disorders after stroke compared to no intervention or control (placebo, standard care, attention control), on measures of performance in activities of daily living. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the trials registers of the Cochrane Stroke Group, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and three other databases to August 2021. We also searched trials and research registers, reference lists of studies, handsearched journals, and contacted authors. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adult stroke survivors with perceptual disorders.We defined perception as thespecific mental functions of recognising and interpreting sensory stimuli and included hearing, taste, touch, smell, somatosensation, and vision.Our definition of perception excluded visual field deficits, neglect/inattention, and pain. One review author assessed titles, with two review authors independently screening abstracts and full-text articles for eligibility. One review author extracted, appraised, and entered data, which were checked by a second author. We assessed risk of bias (ROB) using the ROB-1 tool, and quality of evidence using GRADE. A stakeholder group, comprising stroke survivors, carers, and healthcare professionals, was involved in this review update. We identified 18 eligible RCTs involving 541 participants. The trials addressed touch (three trials, 70 participants), somatosensory (seven trials, 196 participants) and visual perception disorders (seven trials, 225 participants), with one (50 participants) exploring mixed touch-somatosensory disorders. None addressed stroke-related hearing, taste, or smell perception disorders. All but one examined the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions; the exception evaluated non-invasive brain stimulation. For our main comparison of active intervention versus no treatment or control, one trial reported our primary outcome of performance in activities of daily living (ADL): Somatosensory disorders: one trial (24 participants) compared an intervention with a control intervention and reported an ADL measure. Touch perception disorder: no trials measuring ADL compared an intervention with no treatment or with a control intervention. Visual perception disorders: no trials measuring ADL compared an intervention with no treatment or control. In addition, six trials reported ADL outcomes in a comparison of active intervention versus active intervention, relating to somatosensation (three trials), touch (one trial) and vision (two trials). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Following a detailed, systematic search, we identified limited RCT evidence of the effectiveness of interventions for perceptual disorders following stroke. There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the suggestion that perceptual interventions are effective. More high-quality trials of interventions for perceptual disorders in stroke areneeded. They should recruit sufficient participant numbers, include a 'usual care' comparison, and measure longer-term functional outcomes, at time points beyond the initial intervention period. People with impaired perception following a stroke should continue to receive neurorehabilitation according to clinical guidelines.

Research Progress on the Relationship between Peripheral Somatosensory Neurons and Autism Spectrum Disorder

The incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing year by year worldwide and has become a global public health problem. Many studies showed that there was a close relationship between peripheral somatosensory neuron dysfunction and the pathogenesis of ASD. This article summarizes the research from domestic and foreign of the relationship between peripheral somatosensory neurons and autism spectrum disorder at home and abroad, mainly from the relationship between somatosensory neuron function and human growth and development, somatosensory disorders, the main influencing factors, and the shortcomings and prospects of research. Peripheral somatosensory neurons are the primary processing centers in somatosensory neural pathways and important information transmission hubs, which are essential for the formation of somatosensory perception; their information transmission with the brain has an important impact on brain development, the development of various complex behaviors and emotions. The influencing factors include genetic and environmental factors, of which genetic factors include γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit β3 gene mutation, methylated CpG binding protein 2 gene loss or mutation, SHANK3 gene mutation, Fmr1 gene deletion, Cntnap2 gene deletion; environmental factors such as infection, drugs, stress, and obesity. Peripheral somatosensory neurons are important dysfunction sites in the sensory disorder phenotype. Targeting peripheral somatosensory neurons may provide new strategies for somatosensory abnormalities and ASD treatment. However, due to the diversity of clinical manifestations of ASD, differences in different pathogenic genes and pathogenesis, and the high diversity of sensory interneurons in the spinal dorsal horn, the next step still needs to be in-depth study on the application of peripheral somatosensory neurons in ASD, and further clarify its internal mechanism.

Diabetic distal polyneuropathy: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation (review)

Relevance. Due to lifestyle changes, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide. Diabetes can affect the nervous system in various forms in the form of cognitive disorders, mono- or polyneuropathies ending in trophic disorders and "diabetic foot"; and distal symmetrical sensory-motor polyneuropathy. In the modern literature there is a significant amount of research in the field of methods of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with diabetes mellitus, accompanied by damage to the nervous system, but there is no generalized information on a comprehensive analysis of currently available techniques.The purpose of study. To study the available and most modern methods of rehabilitation of patients with diabetic damage to the nervous system with subsequent systematization of information.Materials and methods. The most relevant domestic and foreign literature sources containing information on the types of diabetic lesions of the nervous system, pathogenesis and rehabilitation of patients with these pathologies were analyzed.Results. An analysis of modern literature has shown a great variability in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with distal diabetic polyneuropathy. Drug therapy is effective, however, with long-term use, it can be accompanied by complications from the body systems. Physiotherapeutic therapy is not inferior in variety, affecting the nervous, vascular and epithelial tissue by various methods – electric current, magnetic field, laser beams or photochromo-radiation, you can get the desired analgesic effect. The need for lifestyle is also an important part of patient therapy: maintenance of normoglycemia, smoking cessation and special physical activity.Conclusion. Treatment and rehabilitation of patients with diabetic distal painful polyneuropathy is a big problem for a neurologist-clinician. In modern sources, there is a significant variety of methods for correcting this condition, both medication and physiotherapy. Drugs as the first line of correction of somatosensory disorders are a necessary point in the treatment plan, but it is necessary to remember the side effects of any prescribed drug, the slow onset of the desired analgesic effect. This is necessary for the competent preparation of the patient for a difficult and lengthy rehabilitation process. Among the most effective drugs are gabapentin and prebagalin, drugs of the anticonvulsant group and thioctic acid. A possible bypass of side effects from drug therapy is the appointment of physical therapy, adjusting drug treatment. A significant effect, based on the presented studies, is observed when using magnetotherapy in combination with infrared radiation, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and impulse current with vacuum exposure.

Perceptual Disorders After Stroke: A Scoping Review of Interventions.

Perceptual disorders relating to hearing, smell, somatosensation, taste, touch, and vision commonly impair stroke survivors’ ability to interpret sensory information, impacting on their ability to interact with the world. We aimed to identify and summarize the existing evidence for perceptual disorder interventions poststroke and identify evidence gaps. We searched 13 electronic databases including MEDLINE and Embase and Grey literature and performed citation tracking. Two authors independently applied a priori–defined selection criteria; studies involving stroke survivors with perceptual impairments and interventions addressing those impairments were included. We extracted data on study design, population, perceptual disorders, interventions, and outcomes. Data were tabulated and synthesized narratively. Stroke survivors, carers, and clinicians were involved in agreeing definitions and organizing and interpreting data. From 91 869 records, 80 studies were identified (888 adults and 5 children); participant numbers were small (median, 3.5; range, 1–80), with a broad range of stroke types and time points. Primarily focused on vision (34/80, 42.5%) and somatosensation (28/80; 35.0%), included studies were often case reports (36/80; 45.0%) or randomized controlled trials (22/80; 27.5%). Rehabilitation approaches (78/93; 83.9%), primarily aimed to restore function, and were delivered by clinicians (30/78; 38.5%) or technology (28/78; 35.9%; including robotic interventions for somatosensory disorders). Pharmacological (6/93; 6.5%) and noninvasive brain stimulation (7/93; 7.5%) approaches were also evident. Intervention delivery was poorly reported, but most were delivered in hospital settings (56/93; 60.2%). Study outcomes failed to assess the transfer of training to daily life. Interventions for stroke-related perceptual disorders are underresearched, particularly for pediatric populations. Evidence gaps include interventions for disorders of hearing, taste, touch, and smell perception. Future studies must involve key stakeholders and report this fully. Optimization of intervention design, evaluation, and reporting is required, to support the development of effective, acceptable, and implementable interventions.Registration:URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/; Unique identifier: CRD42019160270.

Rehabilitation of somatic sensation and related deficit of motor control by Mirror Box Therapy: a case report

ABSTRACT Somatosensory disorders are often present after cerebral stroke. These deficits are associated with patients’ disability. Therefore, their rehabilitation takes an importance in recovery program. However, the treatment of sensation remains poorly considered during neurorehabilitation and evidence for active sensory training is limited. Mirror Box Therapy is a simple training used to treat upper extremity motor deficits and pain also in patients with stroke. However, the effects of Mirror Box Therapy on somatosensory impairments in post-stroke patients are not deeply investigated and often exclusively motor exercises are provided during therapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Mirror Box Therapy sensory training on somatosensory deficits in a stroke patient presenting upper limb impairment. The patient underwent to four weeks of training, five days a week. Before, during and after the Mirror Box Therapy treatment, the patient was assessed by Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Performance. Before and after training also upper limb motor function and performance in activities of daily living were assessed. After training patient showed an improvement in somatosensory performance. The gain was maintained at follow-up. This case report shows the effects of Mirror Box Therapy sensory training on the upper extremity for the improvement of sensation and movement in a patient with a thalamo-capsular hemorrhagic stroke during the subacute phase.

The characteristics of brain injury following cerebral venous infarction induced by surgical interruption of the cortical bridging vein in mice

Cerebral venous infarction (CVI) caused by the injury of cortical bridging veins (CBVs), is one of the most serious complications following neurosurgical craniotomy. Different from cerebral artery infarction, this CVI pathological process is more complicated, accompanied by acute venous hypertension, brain edema, cerebral ischemia and hemorrhage in the veins bridged brain area. Therefore, a reliable and stable small animal model is particularly important for the pathological study of CVI induced by surgical CBV interruption (CBVi). A mouse model established by cutting off the right CBVs from bregma to lambda with microsurgical technique is used for the assessment of the pathological process. Adult male mice underwent craniotomy after transection of the parietal skin under anesthesia. The right CBVs were exposed by removing the right skull along the right lateral edge of the sagittal sinus (forming a 4 mm × 3 mm bone window from bregma to lambda) with a drill under the operating microscope. Following the final inspection of the cerebral veins, the CBVs (30% one, 60% two, 10% none) were sacrificed using bipolar coagulation technique. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, motor function examination, brain edema assessment and brain histopathological observation after perfusion were performed at different time points (6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h) in the postoperative mice. Cerebral hemisphere swelling, midline shift and subcortical petechial hemorrhage were found on histological sections 6 h after CBVs dissection. The change of ICP was consistent with cerebral edema and peaked at 12 h after surgery, as well as the disruption of the blood–brain barrier assessed by Evans Blue staining. Tissue necrosis, nerve cell loss and monocytes infiltration were also dynamically increased in the postoperative hemispheric cortex. Behavioral tests showed obvious somato- and forelimb-motor dysfunction, and severe somatosensory disorder on the operative mice at 12 h, which were substantially recovered at 48 h. Our study provided a novel mouse model of CVI caused by surgical CBVi that was close to clinical practice, and preliminarily confirmed its pathological process. This model might become an important tool to study the clinical pathology and the molecular mechanism of nerve injury following CVI.

Evaluating a sensitive issue: reliability of a clinical evaluation for allodynia severity

Purpose/Aim: Allodynia is a common feature of neuropathic pain with few validated clinical evaluation options. We identified a need to estimate the measurement properties of the standardised evaluation procedure for static mechanical allodynia severity popularised by the somatosensory rehabilitation of pain method, known as the rainbow pain scale. This study (www.clinicaltrials.gov. NCT02070367) undertook preliminary investigation of the inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the rainbow pain scale.Methods: Persons with pain in one upper extremity after Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a peripheral nerve injury or a recent hand fracture were recruited for assessment of static mechanical allodynia threshold using calibrated monofilaments by two raters at baseline, and repeated assessment one week later.Results: Single measures estimates suggested inter-rater reliability was substantial for the rainbow pain scale [intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.78 (n = 31), p < 0.001]. Test-retest reliability was also excellent at with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.87 [n = 28, p < 0.001]. However, confidence intervals suggest the true values could be more moderate, with lower bounds of the 95% confidence interval at 0.60 and 0.74, respectively.Conclusions: This pilot study has generated preliminary support for the inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the rainbow pain scale. Future studies should seek to increase confidence in estimates of reliability, and estimate validity and responsiveness to change in persons with somatosensory disorders.

Functional connectivity impairment of postcentral gyrus in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with somatosensory disorder

PurposeTo characterize the spatial patterns of functional connectivity(FC) changes of whole brain in RRMS with somatosensory disorder(RRMS-SS) and to investigate the correlation between abnormal FC and clinical scores. MethodsTwenty-six RRMS-SS patients and 23 healthy controls(HC) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(RS-fMRI) scanning. The clinical scores were collected including Expanded Disability Status Scores(EDSS), Disease Duration and Somatosensory Evaluation by the Fugl-Meyer sensory score(FMSS). With the voxel-wise methods, RS-fMRI data were analyzed using REST software, to assess the FC of the postcentral gyrus(PoCG). Correlation between clinical variables and the strength of FC was analyzed. ResultsCompared with HC, the left postcentral-based FC showed decreased FC of the right cerebellum_8, lingual lobe and Rolandic operculum gyrus, and increased FC of the left middle frontal lobe. The right postcentral-based FC revealed decreased FC with the right Heschl's gyrus lobule, and increased FC with bilateral middle frontal lobe (p < 0.001, AlphaSim corrected). Correlation analysis revealed that the FC of altered brain regions was associated with FMSS, EDSS and disease duration. ConclusionThe functional connectivity of PoCG at RS-fMRI has multi-network changes in patients with RRMS-SS. This suggests a complex pattern of abnormal connections between the somatosensory network regions and the whole brain. Moreover, the correlation between the FC and the FMSS, such as the left middle frontal lobe and the right PoCG, indicate that these two brain regions play an important role in RRMS-SS.

Long non-coding RNAs in the spinal cord injury: Novel spotlight.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) may lead to persistent locomotor dysfunction and somatosensory disorders, which adversely affect the quality of life of patients and cause a significant economic burden to the society. The efficacies of current therapeutic interventions are still far from satisfaction as the secondary damages resulting from the complex and progressive molecular alterations after SCI are not properly addressed. Recent studies revealed that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abundant in the brain and might play critical roles in several nervous system disorders. At the cellular level, lncRNAs have been shown to regulate the expression of protein‐coding RNAs and hence participate in neuronal death, demyelination and glia activation. Notably, SCI is characterized by these biological processes, suggesting that lncRNAs could be novel modulators in the pathogenesis of SCI. This review describes recent progresses in the lncRNA transcriptome analyses and their molecular functions in regulating SCI progression.

Neurophysiology of a double aura in migraine and Alice in wonderland syndrome: Is there a link?

ObjectivesAlice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a pathological condition characterized by distortions of visual representation, with symptoms deforming images, figures, bodies, objects, which are seen larger or smaller than normal. Causes are sought in infectious diseases, psychiatric illness, migraines. It may be associated with alterations in the body schema such as non-recognition of own body in space. It's a rare form of visual aura. Unlike it, migraine with aura is a very frequent disorder, in which the phenomenon of visual aura is considered a consequence of cortical spreading depression(CSD), a wave of depolarization that propagates from the occipital cortex, creating a vasoconstriction and visual disturbances. MethodsRecent studies have found an anatomical correlation between visual and somatosensory disorders such as those found in AIWS, located in the temporo- parieto-occipital junction.Neuroimaging studies allowed to identify the CSD and the occipital cortex responsible for the mechanism of the visual aura and the involvement of the parietal cortex in the genesis of the somatosensory aura. ResultsThe mechanism of the initiation of the stage of visual and somatosensory aura could be a combination of two events. ConclusionsLiterature data now offer agreed confirmations on the role of the CSD associated to somatosensory aura.

MiR-202 modulates the progression of neuropathic pain through targeting RAP1A.

Neuropathic pain is a somatosensory disorder which is caused by disease or nerve injury that affects the nervous system. microRNAs (miRNAs) are proved to play crucial roles in the development of neuropathic pain. However, the role of miR-202 in neuropathic pain is still unknown. Sprague-Dawley rats were used for constructing the neuropathic pain model. The expression of miR-202 was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Potential target gene for miR-202 was measured using bioinformatics methods and Western blot analysis. In this study, we used rats to establish a neuropathic pain model and measured the effect of miR-202 in neuropathic pain. We demonstrated that miR-202 expression was downregulated in the spinal dorsal horn of bilateral sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (bCCI) rat. However, miR-202 expression was not changed in the dorsal root ganglion, hippocampus, and anterior cingulated cortex of bCCI rat. We identified that RAP1A was a direct target gene of miR-202 in the PC12 cell. RAP1A expression was upregulated in the spinal dorsal horn of bCCI rat. Overexpression of miR-202 could improve the pain threshold for bCCI rats in both hindpaws, indicating that miR-202 overexpression could lighten the pain threshold for model rats. Moreover, RAP1A overexpression increased the pain threshold effect of miR-202 overexpression treated bCCI rats, indicating that miR-202 could lighten the pain threshold through inhibiting RAP1A expression. These data suggested that miR-202 acted pivotal roles in the development of neuropathic pain partly through targeting RAP1A gene.

A study for the mechanism of sensory disorder in restless legs syndrome based on magnetoencephalography

In spite of the relatively high incidence rate, the etiology and pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are still unclear. Long-term drug treatments fail to achieve satisfying curative effects, which is reflected by rebound and augmentation of related symptoms. An electrophysiological endophenotype experiment was done to investigate the mechanism of somatosensory disorder among RLS patients. Together with 15 normal subjects as the control group, with comparable ages and genders to the RLS patients, 15 primitive RLS patients were scanned by Magnetoencephalography (MEG) under natural conditions; furthermore, the somatosensory evoked magnetic field (SEF) with single and paired stimuli, was also measured. Compared to the control group, the SEF intensities of RLS patients’ lower limbs were higher, and the paired-pulse depression (PPD) for SEF in RLS patients was attenuated. It was also revealed by time-frequency analysis of somatosensory induced oscillation (SIO) in RLS patients, that 93.3% of somatosensory induced Alpha (8–12 Hz) oscillations were successfully elicited, while 0% somatosensory induced Gamma (30–55 Hz) oscillations were elicited; which was significantly different from the control group. Additionally, in RLS patients exhibit increased excitability of the sensorimotor cortex, a remarkable abnormality existing in early somatosensory gating control (GC) and an attenuated inhibitory interneuron network, which consequently results in a compensatory mechanism through which RLS patients increase their attention-driven lower limb sensory gating control via somatosensory-induced Alpha (8–12 Hz) oscillation. This hyperexcitability, partially due to an electrocortical disinhibition, may have an important therapeutical implication, and become an important target of neuromodulatory interventions.

Varied immuno-related adverse events induced by immune-check point inhibitors - Nivolumab-associated psoriasiform dermatitis related with increased serum level of interleukin-6.

Nivolumab is a standard recombinant antibody treatment for patients with malignant melanoma (MM), which functions as an immune checkpoint inhibitor by blocking the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway in T cells. However, it leads to various immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and also exacerbates underlying autoimmune diseases. Herein we report cases of MM with irAE. Case 1: A 69-year-old woman with MM developed destructive thyroiditis resulting in hypothyroidism after 3 doses of nivolumab, and had been treated with thyroid gland auxiliary therapy. Case 2: A 80-year-old man with MM developed an acute onset of hyperthyroidism after 4 doses of nivolumab. Case 3: A 85-year-old woman with MM developed polyradiculoneuropathy resulting in somatosensory disorder and muscle weakness after 2 doses of nivolumab, and had been treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and oral predonisolone (40 mg/day). Case 4: A 77-year-old man with MM developed psoriasiform dermatitis after local injections of IFN-β and 11 doses of nivolumab. Case 5: Case 2 also developed psoriasiform dermatitis. We analyzed serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in MM patients before/after treatments with nivolumab. All six patients who developed psoriasiform dermatitis with/without anamnesis of psoriasis after treatment with nivolumab, and all seven patients with other irAE exhibited increased serum IL-6 levels after nivolumab treatment, while decreased serum levels of IL-6 were observed in 5 of 7 non-afflicted MM patients. In addition, MM patients who achieved good responses to nivolumab significantly exhibited decreased serum TNF-α levels after nivolumab treatment compared to progressive MM patients.

Influence of V2 vasopressin receptor agonist, 1-dezamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin, DAVP, on a sensitivity disorders in stroke patients

Somatosensory disorders often developed after a stroke. It is known that they affect the outcome of the disease negatively. We analyzed the effects of vasopressin in correction of sensitivity disorders in stroke patients. Treatment received 15 patients with strokes from 41 to 67 years old in most cases with remote consequences of stroke. 13 patients had survived ischemic stroke, 2 patients - hemorrhagic stroke. V2 vasopressin receptor agonist, 1-dezamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin, DDAVP, were injected intranasal for 2 weeks. DDAVP was effective in 73 % of cases. The therapeutic effect of neuropeptide manifested in decreasing symptoms of pain disorders, temperature and tactile sensitivity. The total intensity of surface and deep sensitivity disorders decreased. Aggregate severity of all types of disorders of sensitivity was significantly decreased after treatment. Thus, DDAVP may be used as monotherapy in patients with strokes and with central sensitivity disorders.

A robot hand testbed designed for enhancing embodiment and functional neurorehabilitation of body schema in subjects with upper limb impairment or loss.

Many upper limb amputees experience an incessant, post-amputation “phantom limb pain” and report that their missing limbs feel paralyzed in an uncomfortable posture. One hypothesis is that efferent commands no longer generate expected afferent signals, such as proprioceptive feedback from changes in limb configuration, and that the mismatch of motor commands and visual feedback is interpreted as pain. Non-invasive therapeutic techniques for treating phantom limb pain, such as mirror visual feedback (MVF), rely on visualizations of postural changes. Advances in neural interfaces for artificial sensory feedback now make it possible to combine MVF with a high-tech “rubber hand” illusion, in which subjects develop a sense of embodiment with a fake hand when subjected to congruent visual and somatosensory feedback. We discuss clinical benefits that could arise from the confluence of known concepts such as MVF and the rubber hand illusion, and new technologies such as neural interfaces for sensory feedback and highly sensorized robot hand testbeds, such as the “BairClaw” presented here. Our multi-articulating, anthropomorphic robot testbed can be used to study proprioceptive and tactile sensory stimuli during physical finger–object interactions. Conceived for artificial grasp, manipulation, and haptic exploration, the BairClaw could also be used for future studies on the neurorehabilitation of somatosensory disorders due to upper limb impairment or loss. A remote actuation system enables the modular control of tendon-driven hands. The artificial proprioception system enables direct measurement of joint angles and tendon tensions while temperature, vibration, and skin deformation are provided by a multimodal tactile sensor. The provision of multimodal sensory feedback that is spatiotemporally consistent with commanded actions could lead to benefits such as reduced phantom limb pain, and increased prosthesis use due to improved functionality and reduced cognitive burden.

A study on variability of quantitative sensory testing in healthy participants and painful temporomandibular disorder patients

Objectives: Quantitative sensory testing has mainly used thresholds to evaluate somatosensory sensitivity so far. The variability of different measures from session to session has also been investigated, but the variability of the single individual measures of a threshold or subject-based reports has not been considered. This study aimed to investigate the potential value of threshold variability in one session as a measure of internal consistency in somatosensory function.Methods: The standardized quantitative sensory testing battery developed by the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain was performed bilaterally over the infraorbital, mental, and hand regions in 70 healthy and 22 temporomandibular disorder pain participants. Somatosensory variability was investigated by calculating the Coefficient of Variation of three to five repeated measures in one threshold determination. The influences of side, gender, site, age, and presence of pain on the somatosensory variability were evaluated.Results: In the healthy participants, somatosensory variability was region dependent: hand > mental and/or infraorbital for CDT, WDT, HPT, MDT-N, MPT-Y, MPT-N, WUR, and MPS (p ≤ 0.043), infraorbital > hand for VDT (p = 0.001), mental > infraorbital for HPT and WUR (p ≤ 0.001); and age dependent for WDT, TSL, CPT, HPT, MDT-Y, MDT-N, MPT-N, and WUR (p ≤ 0.017). Gender and side had no main effect on variability (p ≥ 0.136). The pain patients presented higher variability compared with healthy participants for TSL, MDT-N, MPT-Y, WUR, and PPT (p ≤ 0.033).Discussion: The somatosensory variability along with the threshold would be a more complete method to investigate the somatosensory disorders and underlying pain mechanisms. The correlation between pain duration and somatosensory variability should be studied further with different pain conditions.