PARK2 Patient Presenting with Dopa-Responsive Dystonia.

We report a 34-year-old female PARK2 patient presenting with dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). She noticed difficulty in raising her foot while walking at the age of 24. Her lower limb symptoms were identified as dystonia later, and she was started on Menesit, which resulted in improvement of her symptoms.

Levodopa-Responsive Primary Slow Orthostatic Tremor: A Premotor Sign of Parkinson's Disease?

We present a case of primary orthostatic tremor (OT) responsive to dopaminergic medication. The patient was a 62-year-old woman, who had leg tremor on standing for 2 years. No parkinsonian or other neurological signs were observed.

What is the most sensitive test for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome?

Objective: To compare sensitivities between 7 principal nerve conduction studies (NCS) for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Method: In 104 CTS and 64 control hands, following "Standard" NCSs were examined simultaneously: (1) Median sensory NCS; (2) segmental wrist-palm sensory NCS; (3) 4th digit latency difference; (4) 1st digit latency difference and (5) palmar mixed nerve latency difference. As "Guideline" and "Option" NCSs, we also examined: (6) Median motor distal latency and (7) second lumbrical-interossei latency difference (2LILD).

Relationship between event-related desynchronization and cortical excitability in healthy subjects and stroke patients.

Objective: Relation between cortical excitability and magnitudes of event-related dysynchronizaton (ERD) has not been clarified. This study was investigated that relationshp between cortical excitability and ERD magnitudes in healthy subjects and stroke patients.

Methods: Ten healthy subjects and four patients with stroke participated in this study.

Changes in cortical excitability during and just before motor imagery.

Objective: Changes in cortical excitability during motor imagery were investigated in order to reveal the effect of hand dominance. During motor imagery, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of the dominant hand using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Methods: Twelve healthy right-handed subjects participated.

Premotor potential study in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Introduction: Premotor potentials (PMPs) precede compound muscle action potentials evoked from the second lumbrical muscle after median nerve stimulation. Although PMP has been identified as a median sensory nerve action potential, few reports have documented the significance of PMP parameters for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: We investigated the relationships between PMP parameters and results of 6 standard median nerve conduction studies in 74 CTS hands.

Suprahyoid muscles motor evoked potentials in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to reveal whether corticobulbar projection to the suprahyoid muscles (SHM) is contralateral or bilateral.

Methods: Thirty-nine healthy subjects between 27 and 77 years of age participated. All subjects underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in both cerebral hemispheres using surface EMG recording in bilateral SHM.

Effect of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with physical therapy on L-dopa-induced painful off-period dystonia in Parkinson's disease.

Previous research has shown that low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor area and supplementary motor area can reduce L-dopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease; however, it involved only patients with peak-dose or diphasic dyskinesia. We report a case of a patient with severely painful off-period dystonia in the unilateral lower limb who underwent 0.9-Hz subthreshold repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over contralateral primary motor area and supplementary motor area.

Changes in sensory functions after low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the motor cortex.

Objective: To investigate changes in various sensory functions after low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in healthy subjects.

Methods: A Neurometer® CPT/C was used to measure current perception threshold (CPT) values at frequencies of 2000, 250, and 5 Hz in the left index finger to assess the tactile sense, fast pain, and slow pain, respectively. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) elicited by left median nerve stimulation at the wrist were used to assess excitability in the primary sensory cortex (S1).

The efficacy of supraglottic swallow as an indirect swallowing exercise by analysis of hyoid bone movement.

Supraglottic swallow (SGS) is one of the swallowing maneuvers used to enhance safe bolus passage into the esophagus and to avoid aspiration into the trachea. We examined the efficacy of SGS as an indirect swallowing exercise by quantifying hyoid bone movements during SGS. Videofluorography was used to analyze SGS in 10 healthy volunteers.