Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
-
Acupuncture is widely applied for treatment of various neurological disorders. This manuscript will review the preclinical evidence of acupuncture in mediating neural plasticity, the mechanisms involved. ⋯ The cumulative evidences demonstrated that acupuncture could induce neural plasticity in rodents exposed to cerebral ischemia. Neural plasticity mediated by acupuncture in other neural disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression, were also investigated and there is evidence of positive role of acupuncture induced plasticity in these disorders as well. Mediation of neural plasticity by acupuncture is likely associated with its modulation on NTs and neurotransmitters. The exact mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effects on neural plasticity remain to be elucidated. Neural plasticity may be the potential bridge between acupuncture and the treatment of various neurological diseases.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Cramp Training Induces a Long-Lasting Increase of the Cramp Threshold Frequency in Healthy Subjects.
A low cramp threshold frequency (CTF) is associated with an increased cramp susceptibility. Recent data indicate that the CTF can be substantially increased by a cramp training consisting of electrically induced muscle cramps (EIMCs). This study investigated if four cramp training sessions induce sustained effects on the CTF. ⋯ The applied cramp training induced a long-term CTF increase of 14 days.
-
Controlled Clinical Trial
Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on the Frequency of Skeletal Muscle Cramps: A Prospective Controlled Clinical Trial.
We investigated if neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of calf muscles prevents spontaneous calf cramps. ⋯ The applied stimulation protocol seems to provide an effective prevention strategy in individuals affected by regular calf cramps.
-
Cervical cord stimulation is used in the treatment of chronic (neuropathic) pain syndromes refractory to conservative treatments. Several authors describe different techniques for the placement of cervical electrodes. Electrodes can be placed retrogade [Correction added on 03 April 2018 after first online publication: the word "plased" has been changed to "placed".]. In this article, we describe a refinement on how to dissect the dorsal meningo-vertebral ligaments to decrease the risk of complications. ⋯ We describe an additional surgical detail for the known procedure for retrograde placement of high cervical plate electrodes. This surgical detail might result in a lower risk of complications. We present a case series of 28 patients to support this hypothesis.
-
Voice tremor is a common feature of essential tremor (ET) that is difficult to treat medically and significantly affects quality of life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus is effective in improving contralateral distal limb tremor and has been shown in limited studies to affect voice tremor. Our objective was to retrospectively evaluate whether Vim-DBS used to treat patients with essential motor tremor also effectively treated underlying concurrent voice tremor and assess whether particular lead locations were favorable for treating vocal tremor. ⋯ Unilateral and bilateral Vim-DBS targeted to treat the motor component of essential tremor also dramatically decreased the amplitude of voice tremor in this group of patients, suggesting a potential benefit of this treatment for affected patients.