Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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To examine the viscerosomatic interaction between bladder afferents and somatic nociception we evaluated the effect of bladder filling on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) in 21 healthy subjects. ⋯ The effect of bladder filling on the NWR may represent a useful tool to investigate interactions between the neural pathways controlling the bladder and pain.
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High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modulates cortical excitability. We investigated its effect on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in migraine. ⋯ Migraineurs may have increased responsiveness to rTMS because of a cortical dysfunction that changes before a migraine attack.
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Motor dysfunction in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) has been associated with bilateral changes in central motor processing, suggesting abnormal coupling between the affected and unaffected limb. We evaluated the occurrence of involuntary muscle activity in a limb during voluntary movements of the contralateral limb (i.e., mirror activity) in unilaterally affected patients to examine disinhibition of contralateral motor activity in CRPS. ⋯ Although motor dysfunction in CRPS has been associated with bilateral changes in cortical motor processing, the present findings argue against disinhibition of interhemispheric projections to homologous muscles in the contralateral limb during unimanual movement.
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A number of studies provide supporting evidence for changes in synchronization during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. This study investigates how anesthetic administration affects the widespread patterns of phase synchrony. ⋯ Our findings have implications in the study of consciousness, support existing literature in the field and contribute towards the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms behind loss of consciousness. Future investigations could result in a synchrony-based measure for monitoring the level of hypnosis of patients during surgery.
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Focal nerve enlargement is a characteristic finding in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). We performed this study to assess the distribution of nerve enlargement through ultrasonographic examination of peripheral nerves and to correlate the ultrasonographic findings with clinical features. ⋯ Pattern analysis of nerve enlargement using ultrasonography is a supportive tool in the diagnosis of CIDP.