TY - JOUR
T1 - Motor neuron disease (ALS)
T2 - Evaluation of detection thresholds of cutaneous sensation
AU - Mulder, Donald W.
AU - Bushek, Wilfred
AU - Spring, Eileen
AU - Karnes, Jeannine
AU - Dyck, Peter James
PY - 1983/12
Y1 - 1983/12
N2 - Cutaneous touch-pressure, vibration, and thermal cooling detection thresholds were estimated on the skin of one foot for 80 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and compared with that of more than 300 site, age, and sex-matched healthy controls. Fourteen of the patients had elevated thresholds (≥95th percentile): 7 showed elevated thresholds of sensitive points, 5 an increased number of insensitive grid points, and 2 a combination of these criteria. Therefore, raised vibration thresholds occur more frequently in MND patients than in controls (p < 0.001). A detection threshold abnormality was not demonstrated for touchpressure or for thermal cooling. These results are in keeping with the demonstrated increased cutaneous myelinated fiber degeneration in this condition and with evidence of sensory neural system involvement at postmortem examination. Although motor neurons are selectively vulnerable in MND, afferent neurons may also be affected, albeit less frequently and/or to a lesser degree.
AB - Cutaneous touch-pressure, vibration, and thermal cooling detection thresholds were estimated on the skin of one foot for 80 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and compared with that of more than 300 site, age, and sex-matched healthy controls. Fourteen of the patients had elevated thresholds (≥95th percentile): 7 showed elevated thresholds of sensitive points, 5 an increased number of insensitive grid points, and 2 a combination of these criteria. Therefore, raised vibration thresholds occur more frequently in MND patients than in controls (p < 0.001). A detection threshold abnormality was not demonstrated for touchpressure or for thermal cooling. These results are in keeping with the demonstrated increased cutaneous myelinated fiber degeneration in this condition and with evidence of sensory neural system involvement at postmortem examination. Although motor neurons are selectively vulnerable in MND, afferent neurons may also be affected, albeit less frequently and/or to a lesser degree.
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U2 - 10.1212/wnl.33.12.1625
DO - 10.1212/wnl.33.12.1625
M3 - Article
C2 - 6685835
AN - SCOPUS:0021073465
SN - 0028-3878
VL - 33
SP - 1625
EP - 1627
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
IS - 12
ER -