Corticospinal excitability in patients with anoxic, traumatic, and non-traumatic diffuse brain injury.

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been frequently used to explore changes in motor cortex excitability in stroke and traumatic brain injury, while the extent of motor cortex reorganization in patients with diffuse non-traumatic brain injury remains largely unknown.

Objective/hypothesis: It was hypothesized that the motor cortex excitability would be decreased and would correlate to the severity of brain injury and level of functioning in patients with anoxic, traumatic, and non-traumatic diffuse brain injury.

Methods: TMS was applied to primary motor cortices of 19 patients with brain injury (5 traumatic and 14 non-traumatic causes; on average four months after insult), and 9 healthy controls.

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is expressed by astrocytes and is increased in multiple sclerosis.

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a newly described member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily that was first identified as a factor favouring tumorigenesis. APRIL is also important for several immune functions, including B-cell survival. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that is commonly diagnosed in early adulthood.