Cognitive processing of visual images in migraine populations in between headache attacks.

PubMed

Mickleborough, Marla J S; Chapman, Christine M; Toma, Andreea S; Handy, Todd C

2014-09-25

People with migraine headache have altered interictal visual sensory-level processing in between headache attacks. Here we examined the extent to which these migraine abnormalities may extend into higher visual processing such as implicit evaluative analysis of visual images in between migraine events. Specifically, we asked two groups of participants--migraineurs (N=29) and non-migraine controls (N=29)--to view a set of unfamiliar commercial logos in the context of a target identification task as the brain electrical responses to these objects were recorded via event-related potentials (ERPs). Following this task, participants individually identified those logos that they most liked or disliked. We applied a between-groups comparison of how ERP responses to logos varied as a function of hedonic evaluation. Our results suggest migraineurs have abnormal implicit evaluative processing of visual stimuli. Specifically, migraineurs lacked a bias for disliked logos found in control subjects, as measured via a late positive potential (LPP) ERP component. These results suggest post-sensory consequences of migraine in between headache events, specifically abnormal cognitive evaluative processing with a lack of normal categorical hedonic evaluation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abnormal Complex Auditory Pattern Analysis in Schizophrenia Reflected in an Absent Missing Stimulus Mismatch Negativity.

PubMed

Salisbury, Dean F; McCathern, Alexis G

2016-11-01

The simple mismatch negativity (MMN) to tones deviating physically (in pitch, loudness, duration, etc.) from repeated standard tones is robustly reduced in schizophrenia. Although generally interpreted to reflect memory or cognitive processes, simple MMN likely contains some activity from non-adapted sensory cells, clouding what process is affected in schizophrenia. Research in healthy participants has demonstrated that MMN can be elicited by deviations from abstract auditory patterns and complex rules that do not cause sensory adaptation. Whether persons with schizophrenia show abnormalities in the complex MMN is unknown. Fourteen schizophrenia participants and 16 matched healthy underwent EEG recording while listening to 400 groups of 6 tones 330 ms apart, separated by 800 ms. Occasional deviant groups were missing the 4th or 6th tone (50 groups each). Healthy participants generated a robust response to a missing but expected tone. The schizophrenia group was significantly impaired in activating the missing stimulus MMN, generating no significant activity at all. Schizophrenia affects the ability of "primitive sensory intelligence" and pre-attentive perceptual mechanisms to form implicit groups in the auditory environment. Importantly, this deficit must relate to abnormalities in abstract complex pattern analysis rather than sensory problems in the disorder. The results indicate a deficit in parsing of the complex auditory scene which likely impacts negatively on successful social navigation in schizophrenia. Knowledge of the location and circuit architecture underlying the true novelty-related MMN and its pathophysiology in schizophrenia will help target future interventions.

Upper gastrointestinal sensory-motor dysfunction in diabetes mellitus

PubMed Central

Zhao, Jing-Bo; Frøkjær, Jens Brøndum; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr; Ejskjaer, Niels

2006-01-01

Gastrointestinal (GI) sensory-motor abnormalities are common in patients with diabetes mellitus and may involve any part of the GI tract. Abnormalities are frequently sub-clinical, and fortunately only rarely do severe and life-threatening problems occur. The pathogenesis of abnormal upper GI sensory-motor function in diabetes is incompletely understood and is most likely multi-factorial of origin. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy as well as acute suboptimal control of diabetes has been shown to impair GI motor and sensory function. Morphological and biomechanical remodeling of the GI wall develops during the duration of diabetes, and may contribute to motor and sensory dysfunction. In this review sensory and motility disorders of the upper GI tract in diabetes is discussed; and the morphological changes and biomechanical remodeling related to the sensory-motor dysfunction is also addressed. PMID:16718808

Identification of Balance Deficits in People with Parkinson Disease; is the Sensory Organization Test Enough?

PubMed

Gera, G; Freeman, D L; Blackinton, M T; Horak, F B; King, L

2016-02-01

Balance deficits in people with Parkinson's disease can affect any of the multiple systems encompassing balance control. Thus, identification of the specific deficit is crucial in customizing balance rehabilitation. The sensory organization test, a test of sensory integration for balance control, is sometimes used in isolation to identify balance deficits in people with Parkinson's disease. More recently, the Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test, a clinical scale that tests multiple domains of balance control, has begun to be used to assess balance in patients with Parkinson's disease. The purpose of our study was to compare the use of Sensory Organization Test and Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test in identifying balance deficits in people with Parkinson's disease. 45 participants (27M, 18F; 65.2 ± 8.2 years) with idiopathic Parkinson's disease participated in the cross-sectional study. Balance assessment was performed using the Sensory Organization Test and the Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test. People were classified into normal and abnormal balance based on the established cutoff scores (normal balance: Sensory Organization Test >69; Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test >73). More subjects were classified as having abnormal balance with the Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test (71% abnormal) than with the Sensory Organization Test (24% abnormal) in our cohort of people with Parkinson's disease. There were no subjects with a normal Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test score but abnormal Sensory Organization Test score. In contrast, there were 21 subjects who had an abnormal Mini-Balance Evaluations Systems Test score but normal Sensory Organization Test scores. Findings from this study suggest that investigation of sensory integration deficits, alone, may not be able to identify all types of balance deficits found in patients with Parkinson's disease. Thus, a comprehensive approach should be used to test of multiple balance systems to provide customized rehabilitation.

Sensory Eye Dominance in Treated Anisometropic Amblyopia

PubMed Central

Chen, Yao

2017-01-01

Amblyopia results from inadequate visual experience during the critical period of visual development. Abnormal binocular interactions are believed to play a critical role in amblyopia. These binocular deficits can often be resolved, owing to the residual visual plasticity in amblyopes. In this study, we quantitatively measured the sensory eye dominance in treated anisometropic amblyopes to determine whether they had fully recovered. Fourteen treated anisometropic amblyopes with normal or corrected to normal visual acuity participated, and their sensory eye dominance was assessed by using a binocular phase combination paradigm. We found that the two eyes were unequal in binocular combination in most (11 out of 14) of our treated anisometropic amblyopes, but none of the controls. We concluded that the treated anisometropic amblyopes, even those with a normal range of visual acuity, exhibited abnormal binocular processing. Our results thus suggest that there is potential for improvement in treated anisometropic amblyopes that may further enhance their binocular visual functioning. PMID:28573051

Unreliable evoked responses in autism

PubMed Central

Dinstein, Ilan; Heeger, David J.; Lorenzi, Lauren; Minshew, Nancy J.; Malach, Rafael; Behrmann, Marlene

2012-01-01

Summary Autism has been described as a disorder of general neural processing, but the particular processing characteristics that might be abnormal in autism have mostly remained obscure. Here, we present evidence of one such characteristic: poor evoked response reliability. We compared cortical response amplitude and reliability (consistency across trials) in visual, auditory, and somatosensory cortices of high-functioning individuals with autism and controls. Mean response amplitudes were statistically indistinguishable across groups, yet trial-by-trial response reliability was significantly weaker in autism, yielding smaller signal-to-noise ratios in all sensory systems. Response reliability differences were evident only in evoked cortical responses and not in ongoing resting-state activity. These findings reveal that abnormally unreliable cortical responses, even to elementary non-social sensory stimuli, may represent a fundamental physiological alteration of neural processing in autism. The results motivate a critical expansion of autism research to determine whether (and how) basic neural processing properties such as reliability, plasticity, and adaptation/habituation are altered in autism. PMID:22998867

Wild-type male offspring of fmr-1+/- mothers exhibit characteristics of the fragile X phenotype.

PubMed

Zupan, Bojana; Toth, Miklos

2008-10-01

Fragile X syndrome is an X-linked disorder caused by the inactivation of the FMR-1 gene with symptoms ranging from impaired cognitive functions to seizures, anxiety, sensory abnormalities, and hyperactivity. Males are more severely affected than heterozygote (H) females, who, as carriers, have a 50% chance of transmitting the mutated allele in each pregnancy. fmr-1 knockout (KO) mice reproduce fragile X symptoms, including hyperactivity, seizures, and abnormal sensory processing. In contrast to the expectation that wild-type (WT) males born to H (fmr-1(+/-)) mothers (H>WT) are behaviorally normal and indistinguishable from WT males born to WT mothers (WT>WT); here, we show that H>WT offspring are more active than WT>WT offspring and that their hyperactivity is similar to male KO mice born to H or KO (fmr-1(-/-)) mothers (H>KO/KO>KO). H>WT mice, however, do not exhibit seizures or abnormal sensory processing. Consistent with their hyperactivity, the effect of the D2 agonist quinpirole is reduced in H>WT as well as in H>KO and KO>KO mice compared to WT>WT offspring, suggesting a diminished feedback inhibition of dopamine release. Our data indicate that some aspects of hyperactivity and associated dopaminergic changes in 'fragile X' mice are a maternal fmr-1 genotype rather than an offspring fmr-1 genotype effect.

Wild-Type Male Offspring of fmr-1+/− Mothers Exhibit Characteristics of the Fragile X Phenotype

PubMed Central

Zupan, Bojana; Toth, Miklos

2009-01-01

Fragile X syndrome is an X-linked disorder caused by the inactivation of the FMR-1 gene with symptoms ranging from impaired cognitive functions to seizures, anxiety, sensory abnormalities, and hyperactivity. Males are more severely affected than heterozygote (H) females, who, as carriers, have a 50% chance of transmitting the mutated allele in each pregnancy. fmr-1 knockout (KO) mice reproduce fragile X symptoms, including hyperactivity, seizures, and abnormal sensory processing. In contrast to the expectation that wild-type (WT) males born to H (fmr-1+/−) mothers (H> WT) are behaviorally normal and indistinguishable from WT males born to WT mothers (WT> WT); here, we show that H> WT offspring are more active than WT> WT offspring and that their hyperactivity is similar to male KO mice born to H or KO (fmr-1−/−) mothers (H> KO/KO> KO). H> WT mice, however, do not exhibit seizures or abnormal sensory processing. Consistent with their hyperactivity, the effect of the D2 agonist quinpirole is reduced in H> WT as well as in H> KO and KO> KO mice compared to WT> WT offspring, suggesting a diminished feedback inhibition of dopamine release. Our data indicate that some aspects of hyperactivity and associated dopaminergic changes in ‘fragile X’ mice are a maternal fmr-1 genotype rather than an offspring fmr-1 genotype effect. PMID:18172434

The Role of Attention in Somatosensory Processing: A Multi-Trait, Multi-Method Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wodka, Ericka L.; Puts, Nicolaas A. J.; Mahone, E. Mark; Edden, Richard A. E.; Tommerdahl, Mark; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2016-01-01

Sensory processing abnormalities in autism have largely been described by parent report. This study used a multi-method (parent-report and measurement), multi-trait (tactile sensitivity and attention) design to evaluate somatosensory processing in ASD. Results showed multiple significant within-method (e.g., parent report of different…

Knockdown of sodium channel NaV1.6 blocks mechanical pain and abnormal bursting activity of afferent neurons in inflamed sensory ganglia

PubMed Central

Xie, Wenrui; Strong, Judith A.; Ye, Ling; Mao, Ju-Xian; Zhang, Jun-Ming

2013-01-01

Inflammatory processes in the sensory ganglia contribute to many forms of chronic pain. We previously showed that local inflammation of the lumbar sensory ganglia rapidly leads to prolonged mechanical pain behaviors and high levels of spontaneous bursting activity in myelinated cells. Abnormal spontaneous activity of sensory neurons occurs early in many preclinical pain models, and initiates many other pathological changes, but its molecular basis is not well understood. The sodium channel isoform NaV1.6 can underlie repetitive firing and excitatory persistent and resurgent currents. We used in vivo knockdown of this channel via local injection of siRNA to examine its role in chronic pain following local inflammation of the rat lumbar sensory ganglia. In normal DRG, quantitative PCR showed that cells capable of firing repetitively had significantly higher relative expression of NaV1.6. In inflamed DRG, spontaneously active bursting cells expressed high levels of NaV1.6′ immunoreactivity. In vivo knockdown of NaV1.6 locally in the lumbar DRG at the time of DRG inflammation completely blocked development of pain behaviors and abnormal spontaneous activity, while having only minor effects on unmyelinated C-cells. Current research on isoform-specific sodium channel blockers for chronic pain is largely focused on NaV1.8, because it is present primarily in unmyelinated C fiber nociceptors, or on NaV1.7, because lack of this channel causes congenital indifference to pain. However, the results suggest that NaV1.6 may be a useful therapeutic target for chronic pain, and that some pain conditions may be primarily mediated by myelinated A-fiber sensory neurons. PMID:23622763

Case Series: Sensory Intolerance as a Primary Symptom of Pediatric OCD

PubMed Central

HAZEN, ERIC P.; REICHERT, ELIZABETH L.; PIACENTINI, JOHN C.; MIGUEL, EURÍPEDES CONSTANTINO; DO ROSARIO, MARIA CONCEIÇÃO; PAULS, DAVID; GELLER, DANIEL A.

2013-01-01

Introduction Marked intolerance or intrusive re-experiencing of ordinary sensory stimuli that in turn drive functionally impairing compulsive behaviors are occasionally seen in young children with OCD. Methods We describe a number of children with DSM-IV OCD ascertained from a family genetic study of pediatric OCD, whose intolerance of ordinary sensory stimuli created significant subjective distress and time-consuming ritualistic behavior that was clinically impairing. Results In each case, these sensory symptoms were the primary presenting symptoms and were experienced in the absence of intrusive thoughts, images, or ideas associated with “conventional” OCD symptoms. Conclusions These symptoms suggest abnormalities in sensory processing and integration in at least a subset of OCD patients. Recognition of these sensory symptoms and sensory-driven behaviors as part of the broad phenotypic variation in children with OCD could help clinicians more easily identify OCD patients and facilitate treatment. PMID:19034751

ERP Study of Pre-Attentive Auditory Processing in Treatment-Refractory Schizophrenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milovan, Denise L.; Baribeau, Jacinthe; Roth, Robert M.; Stip, Emmanuel

2004-01-01

Event-related potential (ERP) studies have demonstrated impaired auditory sensory processing in patients with schizophrenia, as reflected in abnormal mismatch negativity (MMN). We sought to extend this finding by evaluating MMN in 13 treatment-refractory patients with schizophrenia, and 14 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Subjects…

Non-invasive brain stimulation approaches to fibromyalgia pain

PubMed Central

Short, Baron; Borckardt, Jeffrey J; George, Mark; Beam, Will; Reeves, Scott T

2010-01-01

Fibromyalgia is a poorly understood disorder that likely involves central nervous system sensory hypersensitivity. There are a host of genetic, neuroendocrine and environmental abnormalities associated with the disease, and recent research findings suggest enhanced sensory processing, and abnormalities in central monoamines and cytokines expression in patients with fibromyalgia. The morbidity and financial costs associated with fibromyalgia are quite high despite conventional treatments with antidepressants, anticonvulsants, low-impact aerobic exercise and psychotherapy. Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and electroconvulsive therapy are beginning to be studied as possible treatments for fibromyalgia pain. Early studies appear promising but more work is needed. Future directions in clinical care may include innovative combinations of noninvasive brain stimulation, pharmacological augmentation, and behavior therapies. PMID:21841959

Sensorimotor integration and psychopathology: motor control abnormalities related to psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Velasques, Bruna; Machado, Sergio; Paes, Flávia; Cunha, Marlo; Sanfim, Antonio; Budde, Henning; Cagy, Mauricio; Anghinah, Renato; Basile, Luis F; Piedade, Roberto; Ribeiro, Pedro

2011-12-01

Recent evidence is reviewed to examine relationships among sensorimotor and cognitive aspects in some important psychiatry disorders. This study reviews the theoretical models in the context of sensorimotor integration and the abnormalities reported in the most common psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder and squizophrenia. The bibliographical search used Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cochrane data base and Scielo databases. The terms chosen for the search were: Alzheimer's disease, AD, autism spectrum disorder, and Squizophrenia in combination with sensorimotor integration. Fifty articles published in English and were selected conducted from 1989 up to 2010. We found that the sensorimotor integration process plays a relevant role in elementary mechanisms involved in occurrence of abnormalities in most common psychiatric disorders, participating in the acquisition of abilities that have as critical factor the coupling of different sensory data which will constitute the basis of elaboration of consciously goal-directed motor outputs. Whether these disorders are associated with an abnormal peripheral sensory input or defective central processing is still unclear, but some studies support a central mechanism. Sensorimotor integration seems to play a significant role in the disturbances of motor control, like deficits in the feedforward mechanism, typically seen in AD, autistic and squizophrenic patients.

[Treatment of sensory information in neurodevelopmental disorders].

PubMed

Zoenen, D; Delvenne, V

2018-01-01

The processing of information coming from the elementary sensory systems conditions the development and fulfilment of a child's abilities. A dysfunction in the sensory stimuli processing may generate behavioural patterns that might affect a child's learning capacities as well as his relational sphere. The DSM-5 recognizes the sensory abnormalities as part of the symptomatology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. However, similar features are observed in other neurodevelopmental disorders. Over the years, these conditions have been the subject of numerous controversies. Nowadays, they are all grouped together under the term of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in DSM-5. The semiology of these disorders is rich and complex due to the frequent presence of comorbidities and their impact on cognitive, behavioural, and sensorimotor organization but also on a child's personality, as well as his family, his school, or his social relationships. We carried out a review of the literature on the alterations in the treatment of sensory information in ASD but also on the different neurodevelopmental clinical panels in order to show their impact on child development. Atypical sensory profiles have been demonstrated in several neurodevelopmental clinical populations such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, Dysphasia and Intellectual Disability. Abnomalies in the processing of sensory information should be systematically evaluated in child developmental disorders.

Touch Processing and Social Behavior in ASD.

PubMed

O Miguel, Helga; Sampaio, Adriana; Martínez-Regueiro, Rocío; Gómez-Guerrero, Lorena; López-Dóriga, Cristina Gutiérrez; Gómez, Sonia; Carracedo, Ángel; Fernández-Prieto, Montse

2017-08-01

Abnormal patterns of touch processing have been linked to core symptoms in ASD. This study examined the relation between tactile processing patterns and social problems in 44 children and adolescents with ASD, aged 6-14 (M = 8.39 ± 2.35). Multiple linear regression indicated significant associations between touch processing and social problems. No such relationships were found for social problems and autism severity. Within touch processing, patterns of hyper-responsiveness and hypo-responsiveness best predicted social problems, whereas sensory-seeking did not. These results support that atypical touch processing in individuals with ASD might be contributing to the social problems they present. Moreover, it the need to explore more in depth the contribution of sensory features to the ASD phenotype.

Auditory Processing in Infancy: Do Early Abnormalities Predict Disorders of Language and Cognitive Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzzetta, Francesco; Conti, Guido; Mercuri, Eugenio

2011-01-01

Increasing attention has been devoted to the maturation of sensory processing in the first year of life. While the development of cortical visual function has been thoroughly studied, much less information is available on auditory processing and its early disorders. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the assessment techniques for…

Ulnar neuropathy at or distal to the wrist: traumatic versus cumulative stress cases.

PubMed

Chiodo, Anthony; Chadd, Edmund

2007-04-01

To identify clinical and electromyographic characteristics of ulnar neuropathy at or below the wrist, comparing those caused by unitary trauma with those caused by suspected cumulative stress. Retrospective case series. University hospital electromyography laboratory. Patients with electrodiagnostic evidence of an ulnar neuropathy at or distal to the wrist over a 3-year period. Forty-seven hands from 42 patients (age range, 20-80y; mean, 52y) were identified and evaluated in this study. Record review of clinical history, physical examination, electromyography, and treatment. Etiology of injury, physical signs and symptoms, and electromyographic testing results. Ulnar neuropathy at or distal to the wrist is commonly mischaracterized because of other mononeuropathies in the upper extremity and because of peripheral polyneuropathy. Ulnar neuropathy because of cumulative stress presents typically with sensory symptoms (63%) and a normal examination (71%), whereas trauma cases present with motor with or without sensory symptoms (92%) with motor abnormalities (92%) confirmed on examination. Traumatic cases are characterized by electromyography by decreased sensory and motor-evoked amplitudes, prolonged motor distal latencies, and abnormal needle examination. The amplitude changes are noted comparing with laboratory norms and comparing side to side. No characteristic pattern of abnormalities on electromyography is noted in the cumulative stress cases. Patients with no motor symptoms, regardless of etiology, are more apt to have sensory distal latency prolongation, whereas those with motor symptoms have motor amplitude and needle examination abnormalities. Traumatic ulnar neuropathy at or distal to the wrist is characterized by motor symptoms and sensory and motor axonal loss by electromyography, whereas cumulative stress cases have sensory symptoms and electromyographic findings that are highly variable and noncharacteristic. Patients with no motor symptoms are more apt to show sensory distal latency abnormalities on electromyography, whereas those with motor symptoms show motor-evoked amplitude and needle electromyography abnormalities.

Segmental somatosensory-evoked potentials as a diagnostic tool in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies, and other sensory neuropathies.

PubMed

Koutlidis, R M; Ayrignac, X; Pradat, P-F; Le Forestier, N; Léger, J-M; Salachas, F; Maisonobe, T; Fournier, E; Viala, K

2014-09-01

Somatosensory-evoked potentials with segmental recordings were performed with the aim of distinguishing chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy from other sensory neuropathies. Four groups of 20 subjects each corresponded to patients with (1) possible sensory chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, (2) patients with sensory polyneuropathy of unknown origin, (3) patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and (4) normal subjects. The patients selected for this study had preserved sensory potentials on electroneuromyogram and all waves were recordable in evoked potentials. Somatosensory-evoked potentials evaluations were carried out by stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve at the ankle, recording peripheral nerve potential in the popliteal fossa, radicular potential and spinal potential at the L4-L5 and T12 levels, and cortical at C'z, with determination of distal conduction time, proximal and radicular conduction time and central conduction time. In the group of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, 80% of patients had abnormal conduction in the N8-N22 segment and 95% had abnormal N18-N22 conduction time. In the group of neuropathies, distal conduction was abnormal in most cases, whereas 60% of patients had no proximal abnormality. None of the patients in the group of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis had an abnormal N18-N22 conduction time. Somatosensory-evoked potentials with segmental recording can be used to distinguish between atypical sensory chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and other sensory neuropathies, at the early stage of the disease. Graphical representation of segmental conduction times provides a rapid and accurate visualization of the profile of each patient. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Vocal Responses to Perturbations in Voice Auditory Feedback in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Liu, Hanjun; Wang, Emily Q.; Metman, Leo Verhagen; Larson, Charles R.

2012-01-01

Background One of the most common symptoms of speech deficits in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) is significantly reduced vocal loudness and pitch range. The present study investigated whether abnormal vocalizations in individuals with PD are related to sensory processing of voice auditory feedback. Perturbations in loudness or pitch of voice auditory feedback are known to elicit short latency, compensatory responses in voice amplitude or fundamental frequency. Methodology/Principal Findings Twelve individuals with Parkinson's disease and 13 age- and sex- matched healthy control subjects sustained a vowel sound (/α/) and received unexpected, brief (200 ms) perturbations in voice loudness (±3 or 6 dB) or pitch (±100 cents) auditory feedback. Results showed that, while all subjects produced compensatory responses in their voice amplitude or fundamental frequency, individuals with PD exhibited larger response magnitudes than the control subjects. Furthermore, for loudness-shifted feedback, upward stimuli resulted in shorter response latencies than downward stimuli in the control subjects but not in individuals with PD. Conclusions/Significance The larger response magnitudes in individuals with PD compared with the control subjects suggest that processing of voice auditory feedback is abnormal in PD. Although the precise mechanisms of the voice feedback processing are unknown, results of this study suggest that abnormal voice control in individuals with PD may be related to dysfunctional mechanisms of error detection or correction in sensory feedback processing. PMID:22448258

Motor development and sensory processing: A comparative study between preterm and term infants.

PubMed

Cabral, Thais Invenção; Pereira da Silva, Louise Gracelli; Tudella, Eloisa; Simões Martinez, Cláudia Maria

2014-10-16

Infants born preterm and/or with low birth weight may present a clinical condition of organic instability and usually face a long period of hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units, being exposed to biopsychosocial risk factors to their development due to decreased spontaneous movement and excessive sensory stimuli. This study assumes that there are relationships between the integration of sensory information of preterm infants, motor development and their subsequent effects. To evaluate the sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants aged 4-6 months and compare performance data with their peers born at term. This was a cross-sectional and comparative study consisting of a group of preterm infants (n=15) and a group of term infants (n=15), assessed using the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI) and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). The results showed no significant association between motor performance on the AIMS scale (total score) and sensory processing in the TSFI (total score). However, all infants who scored abnormal in the total TSFI score, subdomain 1, and subdomain 5 presented motor performance at or below the 5th percentile on the AIMS scale. Since all infants who presented definite alteration in tolerating tactile deep pressure and poor postural control are at risk of delayed gross motor development, there may be peculiarities not detected by the tests used that seem to establish some relationship between sensory processing and motor development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensory chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: an under-recognized entity?

PubMed

Ayrignac, Xavier; Viala, Karine; Koutlidis, Régine Morizot; Taïeb, Guillaume; Stojkovic, Tanya; Musset, Lucille; Léger, Jean-Marc; Fournier, Emmanuel; Maisonobe, Thierry; Bouche, Pierre

2013-11-01

Sensory chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) can be difficult to diagnose. We report 22 patients with chronic sensory polyneuropathy with ≥1 clinical sign atypical for chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) but no electrodiagnostic criteria for CIDP. Clinical signs atypical for CIAP were: sensory ataxia (59%), generalized areflexia (36%), cranial nerve involvement (32%), rapid upper limb involvement (40%), and age at onset ≤55 years (50%). Additional features were: normal sensory nerve action potentials (36%), abnormal radial/normal sural pattern (23%), abnormal somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) (100%), elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein (73%), and demyelinating features in 5/7 nerve biopsies. Over 90% of patients responded to immunotherapy. We conclude that all patients had sensory CIDP. Sensory CIDP patients can be misdiagnosed as having CIAP. If atypical clinical/electrophysiologic features are present, we recommend performing SSEPs and CSF examination. Nerve biopsy should be restricted to disabled patients if other examinations are inconclusive. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mind the gap: temporal discrimination and dystonia.

PubMed

Sadnicka, A; Daum, C; Cordivari, C; Bhatia, K P; Rothwell, J C; Manohar, S; Edwards, M J

2017-06-01

One of the most widely studied perceptual measures of sensory dysfunction in dystonia is the temporal discrimination threshold (TDT) (the shortest interval at which subjects can perceive that there are two stimuli rather than one). However the elevated thresholds described may be due to a number of potential mechanisms as current paradigms test not only temporal discrimination but also extraneous sensory and decision-making parameters. In this study two paradigms designed to better quantify temporal processing are presented and a decision-making model is used to assess the influence of decision strategy. 22 patients with cervical dystonia and 22 age-matched controls completed two tasks (i) temporal resolution (a randomized, automated version of existing TDT paradigms) and (ii) interval discrimination (rating the length of two consecutive intervals). In the temporal resolution task patients had delayed (P = 0.021) and more variable (P = 0.013) response times but equivalent discrimination thresholds. Modelling these effects suggested this was due to an increased perceptual decision boundary in dystonia with patients requiring greater evidence before committing to decisions (P = 0.020). Patient performance on the interval discrimination task was normal. Our work suggests that previously observed abnormalities in TDT may not be due to a selective sensory deficit of temporal processing as decision-making itself is abnormal in cervical dystonia. © 2017 EAN.

Sensory Abnormalities in Autism: A Brief Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klintwall Lars; Holm, Anette; Eriksson, Mats; Carlsson, Lotta Hoglund; Olsson, Martina Barnevik; Hedvall, Asa; Gillberg, Christopher; Fernell, Elisabeth

2011-01-01

Sensory abnormalities were assessed in a population-based group of 208 20-54-month-old children, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and referred to a specialized habilitation centre for early intervention. The children were subgrouped based upon degree of autistic symptoms and cognitive level by a research team at the centre. Parents…

Factors Regulating Vagal Sensory Development: Potential Role in Obesities of Developmental Origin

PubMed Central

Fox, Edward A.; Murphy, Michelle C.

2008-01-01

Contributors to increased obesity in children may include perinatal under- or overnutrition. Humans and rodents raised under these conditions develop obesity, which like obesities of other etiologies has been associated with increased meal size. Since vagal sensory innervation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract transmits satiation signals that regulate meal size, one mechanism through which abnormal perinatal nutrition could increase meal size is by altering vagal development, possibly by causing changes in the expression of factors that control it. Therefore, we have begun to characterize development of vagal innervation of the GI tract and the expression patterns and functions of the genes involved in this process. Important events in development of mouse vagal GI innervation occurred between midgestation and the second postnatal week, suggesting they could be vulnerable to effects of abnormal nutrition preor postnatally. One gene investigated was brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which regulates survival of a subpopulation of vagal sensory neurons. BDNF was expressed in some developing stomach wall tissues innervated by vagal afferents. At birth, mice deficient in BDNF exhibited a 50% reduction of putative intraganglionic laminar ending mechanoreceptor precursors, and a 50% increase in axons that had exited fiber bundles. Additionally, BDNF was required for patterning of individual axons and fiber bundles in the antrum and differentiation of intramuscular array mechanoreceptors in the forestomach. It will be important to determine whether abnormal perinatal environments alter development of vagal sensory innervation of the GI tract, involving effects on expression of BDNF, or other factors regulating vagal development. PMID:18234244

Hand-arm vibration syndrome: clinical characteristics, conventional electrophysiology and quantitative sensory testing.

PubMed

Rolke, Roman; Rolke, Silke; Vogt, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Geber, Christian; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Letzel, Stephan; Voelter-Mahlknecht, Susanne

2013-08-01

Workers exposed to vibrating tools may develop hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). We assessed the somatosensory phenotype using quantitative sensory testing (QST) in comparison to electrophysiology to characterize (1) the most sensitive QST parameter for detecting sensory loss, (2) the correlation of QST and electrophysiology, and (3) the frequency of a carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in HAVS. QST, cold provocation tests, fine motor skills, and median nerve neurography were used. QST included thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds. Thirty-two patients were examined (54 ± 11 years, 91% men) at the more affected hand compared to 16 matched controls. Vibration detection threshold was the most sensitive parameter to detect sensory loss that was more pronounced in the sensitivity range of Pacinian (150 Hz, x12) than Meissner's corpuscles (20 Hz, x3). QST (84% abnormal) was more sensitive to detect neural dysfunction than conventional electrophysiology (37% abnormal). Motor (34%) and sensory neurography (25%) were abnormal in HAVS. CTS frequency was not increased (9.4%). Findings are consistent with a mechanically-induced, distally pronounced motor and sensory neuropathy independent of CTS. HAVS involves a neuropathy predominantly affecting large fibers with a sensory damage related to resonance frequencies of vibrating tools. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessments of sensory plasticity after spinal cord injury across species.

PubMed

Haefeli, Jenny; Huie, J Russell; Morioka, Kazuhito; Ferguson, Adam R

2017-06-23

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a multifaceted phenomenon associated with alterations in both motor function and sensory function. A majority of patients with SCI report sensory disturbances, including not only loss of sensation, but in many cases enhanced abnormal sensation, dysesthesia and pain. Development of therapeutics to treat these abnormal sensory changes require common measurement tools that can enable cross-species translation from animal models to human patients. We review the current literature on translational nociception/pain measurement in SCI and discuss areas for further development. Although a number of tools exist for measuring both segmental and affective sensory changes, we conclude that there is a pressing need for better, integrative measurement of nociception/pain outcomes across species to enhance precise therapeutic innovation for sensory dysfunction in SCI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison of 2 methods of endoscopic laryngeal sensory testing: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Kaneoka, Asako; Krisciunas, Gintas P; Walsh, Kayo; Raade, Adele S; Langmore, Susan E

2015-03-01

This study examined the association between laryngeal sensory deficits and penetration or aspiration. Two methods of testing laryngeal sensation were carried out to determine which was more highly correlated with Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) scores. Healthy participants and patients with dysphagia received an endoscopic swallowing evaluation including 2 sequential laryngeal sensory tests-air pulse followed by touch method. Normal/impaired responses were correlated with PAS scores. Fourteen participants completed the endoscopic swallowing evaluation and both sensory tests. The air pulse method identified sensory impairment with greater frequency than the touch method (P<.0001). However, the impairment identified by the air pulse method was not associated with abnormal PAS scores (P=.46). The sensory deficits identified by the touch method were associated with abnormal PAS scores (P=.05). Sensory impairment detected by the air pulse method does not appear to be associated with risk of penetration/aspiration. Significant laryngeal sensory loss revealed by the touch method is associated with compromised airway protection. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sensory interaction on static balance: a comparison concerning the history of falls of community-dwelling elderly.

PubMed

Ricci, Natalia Aquaroni; de Faria Figueiredo Gonçalves, Daniele; Coimbra, Arlete Maria Valente; Coimbra, Ibsen Bellini

2009-06-01

To determine whether elderly subjects with distinct histories of falls presented differences concerning the influence of sensory interaction on balance. Cross-sectional research. Ninety-six community-dwelling elderly subjects were divided into three groups, according to the history of falls within the past year (group 1, no falls; group 2, one fall; and group 3, recurrent falls). The Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance was used to evaluate the influence of sensory inputs on standing balance. The test required the subject to maintain stability during 30 s, under six conditions: (i) firm surface with eyes open; (ii) firm surface with eyes closed; (iii) firm surface with visual conflict; (iv) unstable surface with eyes open; (v) unstable surface with eyes closed; and (vi) unstable surface with visual conflict. The time expended on conditions and the number of abnormal cases were compared between groups. Each group was evaluated in relation to its performance in the progression of conditions. More abnormal cases occurred in group 3 compared to group 1 for conditions (iv) and (v); and compared to group 2 for condition (iv). Group 3 remained less time than group 1 under conditions (iv), (v) and (vi). Groups 1, 2 and 3 presented relevant decrements in trial duration from conditions (iv) to (v). For group 3, a significant decay was also noted from condition (i) to (ii). Sensorial interaction in the elderly varies according to their history of falls. Thus, it is possible to correctly guide the rehabilitation process and to prevent sensorial decays according to an individual's history of falls.

Reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity during exposure to sensory stimuli in ASD.

PubMed

Green, Shulamite A; Hernandez, Leanna; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Dapretto, Mirella

2017-05-01

Recent evidence for abnormal thalamic connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing disorders suggests the thalamus may play a role in sensory over-responsivity (SOR), an extreme negative response to sensory stimuli, which is common in ASD. However, there is yet little understanding of changes in thalamic connectivity during exposure to aversive sensory inputs in individuals with ASD. In particular, the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is implicated in atypical sensory processing given its role in selective attention, regulation, and sensory integration. This study aimed to examine the role of pulvinar connectivity in ASD during mildly aversive sensory input. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine connectivity with the pulvinar during exposure to mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimuli in 38 youth (age 9-17; 19 ASD, 19 IQ-matched typically developing (TD)). Parents rated children's SOR severity on two standard scales. Compared to TD, ASD participants displayed aberrant modulation of connectivity between pulvinar and cortex (including sensory-motor and prefrontal regions) during sensory stimulation. In ASD participants, pulvinar-amygdala connectivity was correlated with severity of SOR symptoms. Deficits in modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in youth with ASD may reflect reduced thalamo-cortical inhibition in response to sensory stimulation, which could lead to difficulty filtering out and/or integrating sensory information. An increase in amygdala connectivity with the pulvinar might be partially responsible for deficits in selective attention as the amygdala signals the brain to attend to distracting sensory stimuli. Autism Res 2017, 10: 801-809. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evolution of crossmodal reorganization of the voice area in cochlear-implanted deaf patients.

PubMed

Rouger, Julien; Lagleyre, Sébastien; Démonet, Jean-François; Fraysse, Bernard; Deguine, Olivier; Barone, Pascal

2012-08-01

Psychophysical and neuroimaging studies in both animal and human subjects have clearly demonstrated that cortical plasticity following sensory deprivation leads to a brain functional reorganization that favors the spared modalities. In postlingually deaf patients, the use of a cochlear implant (CI) allows a recovery of the auditory function, which will probably counteract the cortical crossmodal reorganization induced by hearing loss. To study the dynamics of such reversed crossmodal plasticity, we designed a longitudinal neuroimaging study involving the follow-up of 10 postlingually deaf adult CI users engaged in a visual speechreading task. While speechreading activates Broca's area in normally hearing subjects (NHS), the activity level elicited in this region in CI patients is abnormally low and increases progressively with post-implantation time. Furthermore, speechreading in CI patients induces abnormal crossmodal activations in right anterior regions of the superior temporal cortex normally devoted to processing human voice stimuli (temporal voice-sensitive areas-TVA). These abnormal activity levels diminish with post-implantation time and tend towards the levels observed in NHS. First, our study revealed that the neuroplasticity after cochlear implantation involves not only auditory but also visual and audiovisual speech processing networks. Second, our results suggest that during deafness, the functional links between cortical regions specialized in face and voice processing are reallocated to support speech-related visual processing through cross-modal reorganization. Such reorganization allows a more efficient audiovisual integration of speech after cochlear implantation. These compensatory sensory strategies are later completed by the progressive restoration of the visuo-audio-motor speech processing loop, including Broca's area. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Deficient "sensory" beta synchronization in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Degardin, A; Houdayer, E; Bourriez, J-L; Destée, A; Defebvre, L; Derambure, P; Devos, D

2009-03-01

Beta rhythm movement-related synchronization (beta synchronization) reflects motor cortex deactivation and sensory afference processing. In Parkinson's disease (PD), decreased beta synchronization after active movement reflects abnormal motor cortex idling and may be involved in the pathophysiology of akinesia. The objectives of the present study were to (i) compare event-related synchronization after active and passive movement and electrical nerve stimulation in PD patients and healthy, age-matched volunteers and (ii) evaluate the effect of levodopa. Using a 128-electrode EEG system, we studied beta synchronization after active and passive index finger movement and electrical median nerve stimulation in 13 patients and 12 control subjects. Patients were recorded before and after 150% of their usual morning dose of levodopa. The peak beta synchronization magnitude in the contralateral primary sensorimotor (PSM) cortex was significantly lower in PD patients after active movement, passive movement and electrical median nerve stimulation, compared with controls. Levodopa partially reversed the drop in beta synchronization after active movement but not after passive movement or electrical median nerve stimulation. If one considers that beta synchronization reflects sensory processing, our results suggest that integration of somaesthetic afferences in the PSM cortex is abnormal in PD during active and passive movement execution and after simple electrical median nerve stimulation. Better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the deficient beta synchronization observed here could prompt the development of new therapeutic approaches aimed at strengthening defective processes. The lack of full beta synchronization restoration by levodopa might be related to the involvement of non-dopaminergic pathways.

Axon Transport and Neuropathy

PubMed Central

Tourtellotte, Warren G.

2017-01-01

Peripheral neuropathies are highly prevalent and are most often associated with chronic disease, side effects from chemotherapy, or toxic-metabolic abnormalities. Neuropathies are less commonly caused by genetic mutations, but studies of the normal function of mutated proteins have identified particular vulnerabilities that often implicate mitochondrial dynamics and axon transport mechanisms. Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies are a group of phenotypically related diseases caused by monogenic mutations that primarily affect sympathetic and sensory neurons. Here, I review evidence to indicate that many genetic neuropathies are caused by abnormalities in axon transport. Moreover, in hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies. There may be specific convergence on gene mutations that disrupt nerve growth factor signaling, upon which sympathetic and sensory neurons critically depend. PMID:26724390

The EGF and FGF receptors mediate neuroglian function to control growth cone decisions during sensory axon guidance in Drosophila.

PubMed

García-Alonso, L; Romani, S; Jiménez, F

2000-12-01

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) implement the process of axon guidance by promoting specific selection and attachment to substrates. We show that, in Drosophila, loss-of-function conditions of either the Neuroglian CAM, the FGF receptor coded by the gene heartless, or the EGF receptor coded by DER display a similar phenotype of abnormal substrate selection and axon guidance by peripheral sensory neurons. Moreover, neuroglian loss-of-function phenotype can be suppressed by the expression of gain-of-function conditions of heartless or DER. The results are consistent with a scenario where the activity of these receptor tyrosine kinases is controlled by Neuroglian at choice points where sensory axons select between alternative substrates for extension.

Sensory Alterations in Patients with Isolated Idiopathic Dystonia: An Exploratory Quantitative Sensory Testing Analysis.

PubMed

Paracka, Lejla; Wegner, Florian; Blahak, Christian; Abdallat, Mahmoud; Saryyeva, Assel; Dressler, Dirk; Karst, Matthias; Krauss, Joachim K

2017-01-01

Abnormalities in the somatosensory system are increasingly being recognized in patients with dystonia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sensory abnormalities are confined to the dystonic body segments or whether there is a wider involvement in patients with idiopathic dystonia. For this purpose, we recruited 20 patients, 8 had generalized, 5 had segmental dystonia with upper extremity involvement, and 7 had cervical dystonia. In total, there were 13 patients with upper extremity involvement. We used Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) at the back of the hand in all patients and at the shoulder in patients with cervical dystonia. The main finding on the hand QST was impaired cold detection threshold (CDT), dynamic mechanical allodynia (DMA), and thermal sensory limen (TSL). The alterations were present on both hands, but more pronounced on the side more affected with dystonia. Patients with cervical dystonia showed a reduced CDT and hot detection threshold (HDT), enhanced TSL and DMA at the back of the hand, whereas the shoulder QST only revealed increased cold pain threshold and DMA. In summary, QST clearly shows distinct sensory abnormalities in patients with idiopathic dystonia, which may also manifest in body regions without evident dystonia. Further studies with larger groups of dystonia patients are needed to prove the consistency of these findings.

RAGE-dependent potentiation of TRPV1 currents in sensory neurons exposed to high glucose.

PubMed

Lam, Doris; Momeni, Zeinab; Theaker, Michael; Jagadeeshan, Santosh; Yamamoto, Yasuhiko; Ianowski, Juan P; Campanucci, Verónica A

2018-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is associated with sensory abnormalities, including exacerbated responses to painful (hyperalgesia) or non-painful (allodynia) stimuli. These abnormalities are symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which is the most common complication that affects approximately 50% of diabetic patients. Yet, the underlying mechanisms linking hyperglycemia and symptoms of DPN remain poorly understood. The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel plays a central role in such sensory abnormalities and shows elevated expression levels in animal models of diabetes. Here, we investigated the function of TRPV1 channels in sensory neurons cultured from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of neonatal mice, under control (5mM) and high glucose (25mM) conditions. After maintaining DRG neurons in high glucose for 1 week, we observed a significant increase in capsaicin (CAP)-evoked currents and CAP-evoked depolarizations, independent of TRPV1 channel expression. These functional changes were largely dependent on the expression of the receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE), calcium influx, cytoplasmic ROS accumulation, PKC, and Src kinase activity. Like cultured neurons from neonates, mature neurons from adult mice also displayed a similar potentiation of CAP-evoked currents in the high glucose condition. Taken together, our data demonstrate that under the diabetic condition, DRG neurons are directly affected by elevated levels of glucose, independent of vascular or glial signals, and dependent on RAGE expression. These early cellular and molecular changes to sensory neurons in vitro are potential mechanisms that might contribute to sensory abnormalities that can occur in the very early stages of diabetes.

RAGE-dependent potentiation of TRPV1 currents in sensory neurons exposed to high glucose

PubMed Central

Lam, Doris; Momeni, Zeinab; Theaker, Michael; Jagadeeshan, Santosh; Yamamoto, Yasuhiko; Ianowski, Juan P.

2018-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is associated with sensory abnormalities, including exacerbated responses to painful (hyperalgesia) or non-painful (allodynia) stimuli. These abnormalities are symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which is the most common complication that affects approximately 50% of diabetic patients. Yet, the underlying mechanisms linking hyperglycemia and symptoms of DPN remain poorly understood. The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel plays a central role in such sensory abnormalities and shows elevated expression levels in animal models of diabetes. Here, we investigated the function of TRPV1 channels in sensory neurons cultured from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of neonatal mice, under control (5mM) and high glucose (25mM) conditions. After maintaining DRG neurons in high glucose for 1 week, we observed a significant increase in capsaicin (CAP)-evoked currents and CAP-evoked depolarizations, independent of TRPV1 channel expression. These functional changes were largely dependent on the expression of the receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE), calcium influx, cytoplasmic ROS accumulation, PKC, and Src kinase activity. Like cultured neurons from neonates, mature neurons from adult mice also displayed a similar potentiation of CAP-evoked currents in the high glucose condition. Taken together, our data demonstrate that under the diabetic condition, DRG neurons are directly affected by elevated levels of glucose, independent of vascular or glial signals, and dependent on RAGE expression. These early cellular and molecular changes to sensory neurons in vitro are potential mechanisms that might contribute to sensory abnormalities that can occur in the very early stages of diabetes. PMID:29474476

Assessment of Responsiveness to Everyday Non-Noxious Stimuli in Pain-Free Migraineurs With Versus Without Aura.

PubMed

Granovsky, Yelena; Shor, Merav; Shifrin, Alla; Sprecher, Elliot; Yarnitsky, David; Bar-Shalita, Tami

2018-03-27

Migraineurs with aura (MWA) express higher interictal response to non-noxious and noxious experimental sensory stimuli compared with migraineurs without aura (MWoA), but whether these differences also prevail in response to everyday non-noxious stimuli is not yet explored. This is a cross-sectional study testing 53 female migraineurs (30 MWA; 23 MWoA) who underwent a wide battery of noxious psychophysical testing at a pain-free phase, and completed a Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire and pain-related psychological questionnaires. The MWA group showed higher questionnaire-based sensory over-responsiveness (P = .030), higher magnitude of pain temporal summation (P = .031) as well as higher monthly attack frequency (P = .027) compared with the MWoA group. Overall, 45% of migraineurs described abnormal sensory (hyper- or hypo-) responsiveness; its incidence was higher among MWA (19 of 30, 63%) versus MWoA (6 of 23, 27%, P = .012), with an odds ratio of 3.58 for MWA. Sensory responsiveness scores were positively correlated with attack frequency (r = .361, P = .008) and temporal summation magnitude (r = .390, P = .004), both regardless of migraine type. MWA express higher everyday sensory responsiveness than MWoA, in line with higher response to experimental noxious stimuli. Abnormal scores of sensory responsiveness characterize people with sensory modulation dysfunction, suggesting possible underlying mechanisms overlap, and possibly high incidence of both clinical entities. This article presents findings distinguishing MWA, showing enhanced pain amplification, monthly attack frequency, and over-responsiveness to everyday sensations, compared with MWoA. Further, migraine is characterized by a high incidence of abnormal responsiveness to everyday sensation, specifically sensory over-responsiveness, that was also found related to pain. Copyright © 2018 The American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Physiological and Parent-Observed Auditory Over-Responsiveness in Children with Typical Development and Those with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takahashi, Hidetoshi; Nakahachi, Takayuki; Stickley, Andrew; Ishitobi, Makoto; Kamio, Yoko

2018-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate relationships between caregiver-reported sensory processing abnormalities, and the physiological index of auditory over-responsiveness evaluated using acoustic startle response measures, in children with autism spectrum disorders and typical development. Mean acoustic startle response magnitudes in…

The missing piece in the 'use it or lose it' puzzle: is inhibition regulated by activity or does it act on its own accord?

PubMed

Sun, Qian-Quan

2007-01-01

We have gained enormous insight into the mechanisms underlying both activity-dependent and (to a lesser degree) -independent plasticity of excitatory synapses. Recently, cortical inhibition has been shown to play a vital role in the formation of critical periods for sensory plasticity. As such, sculpting of neuronal circuits by inhibition may be a common mechanism by which activity organizes or reorganizes brain circuits. Disturbances in the balance of excitation and inhibition in the neocortex provoke abnormal activities, such as epileptic seizures and abnormal cortical development. However, both the process of experience-dependent postnatal maturation of neocortical inhibitory networks and its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Mechanisms that match excitation and inhibition are central to achieving balanced function at the level of individual circuits. The goal of this review is to reinforce our understanding of the mechanisms by which developing inhibitory networks are able to adapt to sensory inputs, and to maintain their balance with developing excitatory networks. Discussion is centered on the following questions related to experience-dependent plasticity of neocortical inhibitory networks: 1) What are the roles of GABAergic inhibition in the postnatal maturation of neocortical circuits? 2) Does the maturation of neocortical inhibitory circuits proceed in an activity-dependent manner or do they develop independently of sensory inputs? 3) Does activity regulate inhibitory networks in the same way it regulates excitatory networks? 4) What are the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the activity-dependent maturation of inhibitory networks? 5) What are the functional advantages of experience-dependent plasticity of inhibitory networks to network processing in sensory cortices?

Using a Standardized Clinical Quantitative Sensory Testing Battery to Judge the Clinical Relevance of Sensory Differences Between Adjacent Body Areas.

PubMed

Dimova, Violeta; Oertel, Bruno G; Lötsch, Jörn

2017-01-01

Skin sensitivity to sensory stimuli varies among different body areas. A standardized clinical quantitative sensory testing (QST) battery, established for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain, was used to assess whether the magnitude of differences between test sites reaches clinical significance. Ten different sensory QST measures derived from thermal and mechanical stimuli were obtained from 21 healthy volunteers (10 men) and used to create somatosensory profiles bilateral from the dorsum of the hands (the standard area for the assessment of normative values for the upper extremities as proposed by the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) and bilateral at volar forearms as a neighboring nonstandard area. The parameters obtained were statistically compared between test sites. Three of the 10 QST parameters differed significantly with respect to the "body area," that is, warmth detection, thermal sensory limen, and mechanical pain thresholds. After z-transformation and interpretation according to the QST battery's standard instructions, 22 abnormal values were obtained at the hand. Applying the same procedure to parameters assessed at the nonstandard site forearm, that is, z-transforming them to the reference values for the hand, 24 measurements values emerged as abnormal, which was not significantly different compared with the hand (P=0.4185). Sensory differences between neighboring body areas are statistically significant, reproducing prior knowledge. This has to be considered in scientific assessments where a small variation of the tested body areas may not be an option. However, the magnitude of these differences was below the difference in sensory parameters that is judged as abnormal, indicating a robustness of the QST instrument against protocol deviations with respect to the test area when using the method of comparison with a 95 % confidence interval of a reference dataset.

Genetics Home Reference: Bardet-Biedl syndrome

MedlinePlus

... signaling pathways. Cilia are also necessary for the perception of sensory input (such as sight, hearing, and ... during development and lead to abnormalities of sensory perception. Researchers believe that defective cilia are responsible for ...

Assessing Decreased Sensation and Increased Sensory Phenomena in Diabetic Polyneuropathies

PubMed Central

Herrmann, David N.; Staff, Nathan P.; Dyck, P. James B.

2013-01-01

Loss of sensation and increased sensory phenomena are major expressions of varieties of diabetic polyneuropathies needing improved assessments for clinical and research purposes. We provide a neurobiological explanation for the apparent paradox between decreased sensation and increased sensory phenomena. Strongly endorsed is the use of the 10-g monofilaments for screening of feet to detect sensation loss, with the goal of improving diabetic management and prevention of foot ulcers and neurogenic arthropathy. We describe improved methods to assess for the kind, severity, and distribution of both large- and small-fiber sensory loss and which approaches and techniques may be useful for conducting therapeutic trials. The abnormality of attributes of nerve conduction may be used to validate the dysfunction of large sensory fibers. The abnormality of epidermal nerve fibers/1 mm may be used as a surrogate measure of small-fiber sensory loss but appear not to correlate closely with severity of pain. Increased sensory phenomena are recognized by the characteristic words patients use to describe them and by the severity and persistence of these symptoms. Tests of tactile and thermal hyperalgesia are additional markers of neural hyperactivity that are useful for diagnosis and disease management. PMID:24158999

GABA-B Agonist Baclofen Normalizes Auditory-Evoked Neural Oscillations and Behavioral Deficits in the Fmr1 Knockout Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Featherstone, R.; Naschek, M.; Nam, J.; Du, A.; Wright, S.; Weger, R.; Akuzawa, S.

2017-01-01

Abstract Fragile X syndrome is a genetic condition resulting from FMR1 gene mutation that leads to intellectual disability, autism-like symptoms, and sensory hypersensitivity. Arbaclofen, a GABA-B agonist, has shown efficacy in some individuals with FXS but has become unavailable after unsuccessful clinical trials, prompting interest in publicly available, racemic baclofen. The present study investigated whether racemic baclofen can remediate abnormalities of neural circuit function, sensory processing, and behavior in Fmr1 knockout mice, a rodent model of fragile X syndrome. Fmr1 knockout mice showed increased baseline and auditory-evoked high-frequency gamma (30–80 Hz) power relative to C57BL/6 controls, as measured by electroencephalography. These deficits were accompanied by decreased T maze spontaneous alternation, decreased social interactions, and increased open field center time, suggestive of diminished working memory, sociability, and anxiety-like behavior, respectively. Abnormal auditory-evoked gamma oscillations, working memory, and anxiety-related behavior were normalized by treatment with baclofen, but impaired sociability was not. Improvements in working memory were evident predominantly in mice whose auditory-evoked gamma oscillations were dampened by baclofen. These findings suggest that racemic baclofen may be useful for targeting sensory and cognitive disturbances in fragile X syndrome. PMID:28451631

The pattern and diagnostic criteria of sensory neuronopathy: a case–control study

PubMed Central

Camdessanché, Jean-Philippe; Jousserand, Guillemette; Ferraud, Karine; Vial, Christophe; Petiot, Philippe; Honnorat, Jérôme

2009-01-01

Acquired sensory neuronopathies encompass a group of paraneoplastic, dysimmune, toxic or idiopathic disorders characterized by degeneration of peripheral sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia. As dorsal root ganglia cannot easily be explored, the clinical diagnosis of these disorders may be difficult. The question as to whether there exists a common clinical pattern of sensory neuronopathies, allowing the establishment of validated and easy-to-use diagnostic criteria, has not yet been addressed. In this study, logistic regression was used to construct diagnostic criteria on a retrospective study population of 78 patients with sensory neuronopathies and 56 with other sensory neuropathies. For this, sensory neuronopathy was provisionally considered as unambiguous in 44 patients with paraneoplastic disorder or cisplatin treatment and likely in 34 with a dysimmune or idiopathic setting who may theoretically have another form of neuropathy. To test the homogeneity of the sensory neuronopathy population, likely candidates were compared with unambiguous cases and then the whole population was compared with the other sensory neuropathies population. Criteria accuracy was checked on 37 prospective patients referred for diagnosis of sensory neuropathy. In the study population, sensory neuronopathy showed a common clinical and electrophysiological pattern that was independent of the underlying cause, including unusual forms with only patchy sensory loss, mild electrical motor nerve abnormalities and predominant small fibre or isolated lower limb involvement. Logistic regression allowed the construction of a set of criteria that gave fair results with the following combination: ataxia in the lower or upper limbs + asymmetrical distribution + sensory loss not restricted to the lower limbs + at least one sensory action potential absent or three sensory action potentials <30% of the lower limit of normal in the upper limbs + less than two nerves with abnormal motor nerve conduction study in the lower limbs. PMID:19506068

Perinatal choline deficiency produces abnormal sensory inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats

PubMed Central

Stevens, Karen E.; Adams, Catherine E.; Mellott, Tiffany J.; Robbins, Emily; Kisley, Michael A.

2008-01-01

Adequate choline levels in rodents during gestation have been shown to be critical to several functions, including certain learning and memory functions, when tested at adulthood. Choline is a selective agonist for the α7 nicotinic receptor which appears in development before acetylcholine is present. Normal sensory inhibition is dependent, in part, upon sufficient numbers of this receptor in the hippocampus. The present study assessed sensory inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats gestated on normal (1.1 g/kg), deficient (0 g/kg) or supplemented (5 g/kg) choline in the maternal diet during the critical period for cholinergic cell development (E12-18). Rats gestated on deficient choline showed abnormal sensory inhibition when tested at adulthood, while rats gestated on normal or supplemented choline showed normal sensory inhibition. Assessment of hippocampal α-bungarotoxin to visualize nicotinic α7 receptors revealed no difference between the gestational choline levels. These data suggest that attention to maternal choline levels for human pregnancy may be important to the normal functioning of the offspring. PMID:18778692

Perinatal choline deficiency produces abnormal sensory inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats.

PubMed

Stevens, Karen E; Adams, Catherine E; Mellott, Tiffany J; Robbins, Emily; Kisley, Michael A

2008-10-27

Adequate choline levels in rodents during gestation have been shown to be critical to several functions, including certain learning and memory functions, when tested at adulthood. Choline is a selective agonist for the alpha7 nicotinic receptor which appears in development before acetylcholine is present. Normal sensory inhibition is dependent, in part, upon sufficient numbers of this receptor in the hippocampus. The present study assessed sensory inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats gestated on normal (1.1 g/kg), deficient (0 g/kg) or supplemented (5 g/kg) choline in the maternal diet during the critical period for cholinergic cell development (E12-18). Rats gestated on deficient choline showed abnormal sensory inhibition when tested at adulthood, while rats gestated on normal or supplemented choline showed normal sensory inhibition. Assessment of hippocampal alpha-bungarotoxin to visualize nicotinic alpha7 receptors revealed no difference between the gestational choline levels. These data suggest that attention to maternal choline levels for human pregnancy may be important to the normal functioning of the offspring.

No Proprioceptive Deficits in Autism despite Movement-Related Sensory and Execution Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuentes, Christina T.; Mostofsky, Stewart H.; Bastian, Amy J.

2011-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often involves sensory and motor problems, yet the proprioceptive sense of limb position has not been directly assessed. We used three tasks to assess proprioception in adolescents with ASD who had motor and sensory perceptual abnormalities, and compared them to age- and IQ-matched controls. Results showed no group…

The Effects of Weighted Vests on Appropriate In-Seat Behaviors of Elementary-Age Students with Autism and Severe to Profound Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Amy L.; Gast, David L.; Luscre, Deanna; Ayres, Kevin M.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of weighted vests on the amount of time 3 elementary-age students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and sensory processing abnormalities engaged in appropriate in-seat behavior. An alternating treatments design was used to examine the duration of appropriate in-seat behavior under three…

Protein O-Mannosyltransferases Affect Sensory Axon Wiring and Dynamic Chirality of Body Posture in the Drosophila Embryo.

PubMed

Baker, Ryan; Nakamura, Naosuke; Chandel, Ishita; Howell, Brooke; Lyalin, Dmitry; Panin, Vladislav M

2018-02-14

Genetic defects in protein O-mannosyltransferase 1 (POMT1) and POMT2 underlie severe muscular dystrophies. POMT genes are evolutionarily conserved in metazoan organisms. In Drosophila , both male and female POMT mutants show a clockwise rotation of adult abdominal segments, suggesting a chirality of underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Here we described and analyzed a similar phenotype in POMT mutant embryos that shows left-handed body torsion. Our experiments demonstrated that coordinated muscle contraction waves are associated with asymmetric embryo rolling, unveiling a new chirality marker in Drosophila development. Using genetic and live-imaging approaches, we revealed that the torsion phenotype results from differential rolling and aberrant patterning of peristaltic waves of muscle contractions. Our results demonstrated that peripheral sensory neurons are required for normal contractions that prevent the accumulation of torsion. We found that POMT mutants show abnormal axonal connections of sensory neurons. POMT transgenic expression limited to sensory neurons significantly rescued the torsion phenotype, axonal connectivity defects, and abnormal contractions in POMT mutant embryos. Together, our data suggested that protein O-mannosylation is required for normal sensory feedback to control coordinated muscle contractions and body posture. This mechanism may shed light on analogous functions of POMT genes in mammals and help to elucidate the etiology of neurological defects in muscular dystrophies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Protein O-mannosyltransferases (POMTs) are evolutionarily conserved in metazoans. Mutations in POMTs cause severe muscular dystrophies associated with pronounced neurological defects. However, neurological functions of POMTs remain poorly understood. We demonstrated that POMT mutations in Drosophila result in abnormal muscle contractions and cause embryo torsion. Our experiments uncovered a chirality of embryo movements and a unique POMT -dependent mechanism that maintains symmetry of a developing system affected by chiral forces. Furthermore, POMTs were found to be required for proper axon connectivity of sensory neurons, suggesting that O-mannosylation regulates the sensory feedback controlling muscle contractions. This novel POMT function in the peripheral nervous system may shed light on analogous functions in mammals and help to elucidate pathomechanisms of neurological abnormalities in muscular dystrophies. Copyright © 2018 the authors 0270-6474/18/381850-16$15.00/0.

Neural autoantibodies and neurophysiologic abnormalities in patients exposed to molds in water-damaged buildings.

PubMed

Campbell, Andrew W; Thrasher, Jack D; Madison, Roberta A; Vojdani, Aristo; Gray, Michael R; Johnson, Al

2003-08-01

Adverse health effects of fungal bioaerosols on occupants of water-damaged homes and other buildings have been reported. Recently, it has been suggested that mold exposure causes neurological injury. The authors investigated neurological antibodies and neurophysiological abnormalities in patients exposed to molds at home who developed symptoms of peripheral neuropathy (i.e., numbness, tingling, tremors, and muscle weakness in the extremities). Serum samples were collected and analyzed with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique for antibodies to myelin basic protein, myelin-associated glycoprotein, ganglioside GM1, sulfatide, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, alpha-B-crystallin, chondroitin sulfate, tubulin, and neurofilament. Antibodies to molds and mycotoxins were also determined with ELISA, as reported previously. Neurophysiologic evaluations for latency, amplitude, and velocity were performed on 4 motor nerves (median, ulnar, peroneal, and tibial), and for latency and amplitude on 3 sensory nerves (median, ulnar, and sural). Patients with documented, measured exposure to molds had elevated titers of antibodies (immunoglobulin [Ig]A, IgM, and IgG) to neural-specific antigens. Nerve conduction studies revealed 4 patient groupings: (1) mixed sensory-motor polyneuropathy (n = 55, abnormal), (2) motor neuropathy (n = 17, abnormal), (3) sensory neuropathy (n = 27, abnormal), and (4) those with symptoms but no neurophysiological abnormalities (n = 20, normal controls). All groups showed significantly increased autoantibody titers for all isotypes (IgA, IgM, and IgG) of antibodies to neural antigens when compared with 500 healthy controls. Groups 1 through 3 also exhibited abnormal neurophysiologic findings. The authors concluded that exposure to molds in water-damaged buildings increased the risk for development of neural autoantibodies, peripheral neuropathy, and neurophysiologic abnormalities in exposed individuals.

Ethanol affects the development of sensory hair cells in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio).

PubMed

Uribe, Phillip M; Asuncion, James D; Matsui, Jonathan I

2013-01-01

Children born to mothers with substantial alcohol consumption during pregnancy can present a number of morphological, cognitive, and sensory abnormalities, including hearing deficits, collectively known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The goal of this study was to determine if the zebrafish lateral line could be used to study sensory hair cell abnormalities caused by exposure to ethanol during embryogenesis. Some lateral line sensory hair cells are present at 2 days post-fertilization (dpf) and are functional by 5 dpf. Zebrafish embryos were raised in fish water supplemented with varying concentrations of ethanol (0.75%-1.75% by volume) from 2 dpf through 5 dpf. Ethanol treatment during development resulted in many physical abnormalities characteristic of FAS in humans. Also, the number of sensory hair cells decreased as the concentration of ethanol increased in a dose-dependent manner. The dye FM 1-43FX was used to detect the presence of functional mechanotransduction channels. The percentage of FM 1-43-labeled hair cells decreased as the concentration of ethanol increased. Methanol treatment did not affect the development of hair cells. The cell cycle markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) demonstrated that ethanol reduced the number of sensory hair cells, as a consequence of decreased cellular proliferation. There was also a significant increase in the rate of apoptosis, as determined by TUNEL-labeling, in neuromasts following ethanol treatment during larval development. Therefore, zebrafish are a useful animal model to study the effects of hair cell developmental disorders associated with FAS.

Toll-like receptor 9 deficiency impacts sensory and motor behaviors.

PubMed

Khariv, Veronika; Pang, Kevin; Servatius, Richard J; David, Brian T; Goodus, Matthew T; Beck, Kevin D; Heary, Robert F; Elkabes, Stella

2013-08-01

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate the induction of the innate immune system in response to pathogens, injury and disease. However, they also play non-immune roles and are expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) during prenatal and postnatal stages including adulthood. Little is known about their roles in the CNS in the absence of pathology. Several members of the TLR family have been implicated in the development of neural and cognitive function although the contribution of TLR9 to these processes has not been well defined. The current studies were undertaken to determine whether developmental TLR9 deficiency affects motor, sensory or cognitive functions. We report that TLR9 deficient (TLR9(-/-)) mice show a hyper-responsive sensory and motor phenotype compared to wild type (TLR9(+/+)) controls. This is indicated by hypersensitivity to thermal stimuli in the hot plate paw withdrawal test, enhanced motor-responsivity under anxious conditions in the open field test and greater sensorimotor reactivity in the acoustic startle response. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response was also enhanced, which indicates abnormal sensorimotor gating. In addition, subtle, but significant, gait abnormalities were noted in the TLR9(-/-) mice on the horizontal balance beam test with higher foot slip numbers than TLR9(+/+) controls. In contrast, spatial learning and memory, assessed by the Morris water maze, was similar in the TLR9(-/-) and TLR9(+/+) mice. These findings support the notion that TLR9 is important for the appropriate development of sensory and motor behaviors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Airway somatosensory deficits and dysphagia in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Hammer, Michael J; Murphy, Caitlin A; Abrams, Trisha M

2013-01-01

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) often experience substantial impairment of swallow control, and are typically unaware of the presence or severity of their impairments suggesting that these individuals may also experience airway sensory deficits. However, the degree to which impaired swallow function in PD may relate to airway sensory deficits has yet to be formally tested. The purpose of this study was to examine whether airway sensory function is associated with swallow impairment in PD. Eighteen PD participants and 18 healthy controls participated in this study and underwent endoscopic assessment of airway somatosensory function, endoscopic assessment of swallow function, and clinical ratings of swallow and disease severity. PD participants exhibited abnormal airway somatosensory function and greater swallow impairment compared with healthy controls. Swallow and sensory deficits in PD were correlated with disease severity. Moreover, PD participants reported similar self-rated swallow function as healthy controls, and swallow deficits were correlated with sensory function suggesting an association between impaired sensory function and poor self-awareness of swallow deficits in PD. These results suggest that control of swallow is influenced by airway somatosensory function, that swallow-related deficits in PD are related to abnormal somatosensation, and that swallow and airway sensory function may degrade as a function of disease severity. Therefore, the basal ganglia and related neural networks may play an important role to integrate airway sensory input for swallow-related motor control. Furthermore, the airway deficits observed in PD suggest a disintegration of swallow-related sensory and motor control.

Parkinson disease affects peripheral sensory nerves in the pharynx.

PubMed

Mu, Liancai; Sobotka, Stanislaw; Chen, Jingming; Su, Hungxi; Sanders, Ira; Nyirenda, Themba; Adler, Charles H; Shill, Holly A; Caviness, John N; Samanta, Johan E; Sue, Lucia I; Beach, Thomas G

2013-07-01

Dysphagia is very common in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and often leads to aspiration pneumonia, the most common cause of death in PD. Current therapies are largely ineffective for dysphagia. Because pharyngeal sensation normally triggers the swallowing reflex, we examined pharyngeal sensory nerves in PD patients for Lewy pathology.Sensory nerves supplying the pharynx were excised from autopsied pharynges obtained from patients with clinically diagnosed and neuropathologically confirmed PD (n = 10) and healthy age-matched controls (n = 4). We examined the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve IX), the pharyngeal sensory branch of the vagus nerve (PSB-X), and the internal superior laryngeal nerve (ISLN) innervating the laryngopharynx. Immunohistochemistry for phosphorylated α-synuclein was used to detect Lewy pathology. Axonal α-synuclein aggregates in the pharyngeal sensory nerves were identified in all of the PD subjects but not in the controls. The density of α-synuclein-positive lesions was greater in PD patients with dysphagia versus those without dysphagia. In addition, α-synuclein-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the ISLN were much more abundant than those in cranial nerve IX and PSB-X. These findings suggest that pharyngeal sensory nerves are directly affected by pathologic processes in PD. These abnormalities may decrease pharyngeal sensation, thereby impairing swallowing and airway protective reflexes and contributing to dysphagia and aspiration.

Mindful Yoga Pilot Study Shows Modulation of Abnormal Pain Processing in Fibromyalgia Patients.

PubMed

Carson, James W; Carson, Kimberly M; Jones, Kim D; Lancaster, Lindsay; Mist, Scott D

2016-01-01

Published findings from a randomized controlled trial have shown that Mindful Yoga training improves symptoms, functional deficits, and coping abilities in individuals with fibromyalgia and that these benefits are replicable and can be maintained 3 months post-treatment. The aim of this study was to collect pilot data in female fibromyalgia patients (n = 7) to determine if initial evidence indicates that Mindful Yoga also modulates the abnormal pain processing that characterizes fibromyalgia. Pre- and post-treatment data were obtained on quantitative sensory tests and measures of symptoms, functional deficits, and coping abilities. Separation test analyses indicated significant improvements in heat pain tolerance, pressure pain threshold, and heat pain after-sensations at post-treatment. Fibromyalgia symptoms and functional deficits also improved significantly, including physical tests of strength and balance, and pain coping strategies. These findings indicate that further investigation is warranted into the effect of Mindful Yoga on neurobiological pain processing.

Sensory dominance and multisensory integration as screening tools in aging.

PubMed

Murray, Micah M; Eardley, Alison F; Edginton, Trudi; Oyekan, Rebecca; Smyth, Emily; Matusz, Pawel J

2018-06-11

Multisensory information typically confers neural and behavioural advantages over unisensory information. We used a simple audio-visual detection task to compare healthy young (HY), healthy older (HO) and mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals. Neuropsychological tests assessed individuals' learning and memory impairments. First, we provide much-needed clarification regarding the presence of enhanced multisensory benefits in both healthily and abnormally aging individuals. The pattern of sensory dominance shifted with healthy and abnormal aging to favour a propensity of auditory-dominant behaviour (i.e., detecting sounds faster than flashes). Notably, multisensory benefits were larger only in healthy older than younger individuals who were also visually-dominant. Second, we demonstrate that the multisensory detection task offers benefits as a time- and resource-economic MCI screening tool. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that MCI diagnosis could be reliably achieved based on the combination of indices of multisensory integration together with indices of sensory dominance. Our findings showcase the importance of sensory profiles in determining multisensory benefits in healthy and abnormal aging. Crucially, our findings open an exciting possibility for multisensory detection tasks to be used as a cost-effective screening tool. These findings clarify relationships between multisensory and memory functions in aging, while offering new avenues for improved dementia diagnostics.

Is There a Relationship between Restricted, Repetitive, Stereotyped Behaviors and Interests and Abnormal Sensory Response in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabriels, Robin L.; Agnew, John A.; Miller, Lucy Jane; Gralla, Jane; Pan, Zhaoxing; Goldson, Edward; Ledbetter, James C.; Dinkins, Juliet P.; Hooks, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

This study examined the relation between restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors and interests (RBs) and sensory responses in a group of 70 children and adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Caregivers completed the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R) and the Sensory Profile. Controlling for IQ and age,…

Role of motoneuron-derived neurotrophin 3 in survival and axonal projection of sensory neurons during neural circuit formation.

PubMed

Usui, Noriyoshi; Watanabe, Keisuke; Ono, Katsuhiko; Tomita, Koichi; Tamamaki, Nobuaki; Ikenaka, Kazuhiro; Takebayashi, Hirohide

2012-03-01

Sensory neurons possess the central and peripheral branches and they form unique spinal neural circuits with motoneurons during development. Peripheral branches of sensory axons fasciculate with the motor axons that extend toward the peripheral muscles from the central nervous system (CNS), whereas the central branches of proprioceptive sensory neurons directly innervate motoneurons. Although anatomically well documented, the molecular mechanism underlying sensory-motor interaction during neural circuit formation is not fully understood. To investigate the role of motoneuron on sensory neuron development, we analyzed sensory neuron phenotypes in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of Olig2 knockout (KO) mouse embryos, which lack motoneurons. We found an increased number of apoptotic cells in the DRG of Olig2 KO embryos at embryonic day (E) 10.5. Furthermore, abnormal axonal projections of sensory neurons were observed in both the peripheral branches at E10.5 and central branches at E15.5. To understand the motoneuron-derived factor that regulates sensory neuron development, we focused on neurotrophin 3 (Ntf3; NT-3), because Ntf3 and its receptors (Trk) are strongly expressed in motoneurons and sensory neurons, respectively. The significance of motoneuron-derived Ntf3 was analyzed using Ntf3 conditional knockout (cKO) embryos, in which we observed increased apoptosis and abnormal projection of the central branch innervating motoneuron, the phenotypes being apparently comparable with that of Olig2 KO embryos. Taken together, we show that the motoneuron is a functional source of Ntf3 and motoneuron-derived Ntf3 is an essential pre-target neurotrophin for survival and axonal projection of sensory neurons.

Unusual presentation Of Sjögren-associated neuropathy with plasma cell-rich infiltrate.

PubMed

Naddaf, Elie; Berini, Sarah E; B Dyck, P James; Laughlin, Ruple S

2017-04-01

Sjögren syndrome is thought to be a lymphocyte-driven process. Peripheral nervous system involvement occurs in about 20%-25% of patients. A sensory-predominant, large-fiber peripheral neuropathy is most common, and it is usually associated with a subacute to chronic presentation. We report a rare case of an acute Sjögren-associated, sensory predominant, length-dependent peripheral neuropathy mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome. The patient presented with sensory ataxia preceded by fever and polyarthralgia. She gave a history of years of dry eyes and dry mouth. She had a positive Shirmer test, abnormal salivary gland scan, and positive SS-A and SS-B antibodies. A sural nerve biopsy showed an unusual, dense, non-IgG4, polyclonal, plasma-cell perivascular infiltrate. The patient responded to treatment with weekly pulse intravenous methylprednisolone. Sjögren syndrome can present with acute-onset, sensory predominant peripheral neuropathy. The role of plasma cells in Sjögren syndrome is unexplored and deserves further study. Muscle Nerve 55: 605-608, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Clinical findings and electrodiagnostic testing in 108 consecutive cases of lumbosacral radiculopathy due to herniated disc.

PubMed

Mondelli, M; Aretini, A; Arrigucci, U; Ginanneschi, F; Greco, G; Sicurelli, F

2013-10-01

This prospective study aim to examine whether clinical findings and electrodiagnostic testing (EDX) in patients with lumbosacral monoradiculopathy due to herniated disc (HD) differ as a function of root involvement level (L5 vs. S1) and HD zone (paramedian vs. intraforaminal). All patients with L4, L5 or S1 monoradiculopathy were prospectively enrolled at four electromyography (EMG) labs over a 2-year period. The diagnosis was based on a congruence between patient history and MRI evidence of HD. We compared the sensitivities of clinical findings and EDX with respect to both root involvement level and HD zone. Multivariate logistic regression was performed in order to verify the association between abnormal EMG, clinical, and neuroradiological findings. One hundred and eight patients (mean age 47.7 years, 55% men) were consecutively enrolled. Sensory loss in the painful dermatome was the most frequent finding at physical examination (56% of cases). EMG was abnormal in at least one muscle supplied by femoral and sciatic nerves in 45 cases (42%). Inclusion of paraspinal muscles increased sensitivity to only 49% and that of proximal muscles was useless. Motor and sensory neurography was seldom abnormal. The most frequent motor neurographic abnormalities were a delay of F-wave minimum latency and decrease in the compound muscle action potential amplitude from extensor digitorum brevis and abductor hallucis in L5 and S1 radiculopathies, respectively. Sensory neurography was usually normal, the amplitude of sensory nerve action potential was seldom reduced when HD injured dorsal root ganglion or postganglionic root fibres. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that EMG abnormalities could be predicted by myotomal muscular weakness, abnormal deep reflexes, and paraesthesiae. The only clinical and electrophysiological differences with respect to root involvement level concerned deep reflexes and motor neurography of deep peroneal and tibial nerves. Only some EDX parameters are helpful for the diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy. EMG was abnormal in less than 50% of cases and its abnormalities could be predicted by some clinical findings. However, neurography is useful as a tool for differential diagnosis between radiculopathy and more diffuse disorders of the peripheral nervous system (polyneuropathy, plexopathy). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cochlear synaptopathy in acquired sensorineural hearing loss: Manifestations and mechanisms.

PubMed

Liberman, M Charles; Kujawa, Sharon G

2017-06-01

Common causes of hearing loss in humans - exposure to loud noise or ototoxic drugs and aging - often damage sensory hair cells, reflected as elevated thresholds on the clinical audiogram. Recent studies in animal models suggest, however, that well before this overt hearing loss can be seen, a more insidious, but likely more common, process is taking place that permanently interrupts synaptic communication between sensory inner hair cells and subsets of cochlear nerve fibers. The silencing of affected neurons alters auditory information processing, whether accompanied by threshold elevations or not, and is a likely contributor to a variety of perceptual abnormalities, including speech-in-noise difficulties, tinnitus and hyperacusis. Work described here will review structural and functional manifestations of this cochlear synaptopathy and will consider possible mechanisms underlying its appearance and progression in ears with and without traditional 'hearing loss' arising from several common causes in humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness, supplement 2S

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterka, Robert J.; Black, F. Owen

1987-01-01

Previous experiments with moving platform posturography have shown that different people have varying abilities to resolve conflicts among vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive sensory signals. The conceptual basis of the present proposal hinges on the similarities between the space motion sickness problem and the sensory orientation reference selection problems associated with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) syndrome. These similarities include both etiology related to abnormal vertical canal-otolith function, and motion sickness initiating events provoked by pitch and roll head movements. The objectives are to explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation of this selection to motion sickness in humans. The overall objectives are to determine: if motion sickness susceptibility is related to sensory orientation reference selection abilities of subjects; if abnormal vertical canal-otolith function is the source of abnormal posture control strategies and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements, and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements; and quantifiable measures of perception of vestibular and visual motion cues can be related to motion sickness susceptibility and to orientation reference selection ability.

Chronic sensory stroke with and without central pain is associated with bilaterally distributed sensory abnormalities as detected by quantitative sensory testing.

PubMed

Krause, Thomas; Asseyer, Susanna; Geisler, Frederik; Fiebach, Jochen B; Oeltjenbruns, Jochen; Kopf, Andreas; Villringer, Kersten; Villringer, Arno; Jungehulsing, Gerhard J

2016-01-01

Approximately 20% of patients suffering from stroke with pure or predominant sensory symptoms (referred to as sensory stroke patients) develop central poststroke pain (CPSP). It is largely unknown what distinguishes these patients from those who remain pain free. Using quantitative sensory testing (QST), we analyzed the somatosensory profiles of 50 patients with chronic sensory stroke, of which 25 suffered from CPSP. As compared with reference data from healthy controls, patients with CPSP showed alterations of thermal and mechanical thresholds on the body area contralateral to their stroke (P < 0.01). Patients with sensory stroke but without CPSP (non-pain sensory stroke [NPSS] patients) exhibited similar albeit less pronounced contralesional changes. Paradoxical heat sensation (PHS) and dynamic mechanical allodynia (DMA) showed higher values in CPSP, and an elevated cold detection threshold (CDT) was seen more often in CPSP than in patients with NPSS (P < 0.05). In patients with CPSP, changes in CDT, PHS, dynamic mechanical allodynia, and temporal pain summation (wind-up ratio) each correlated with the presence of pain (P < 0.05). On the homologous ipsilesional body area, both patient groups showed additional significant abnormalities as compared with the reference data, which strongly resembled the contralesional changes. In summary, our analysis reveals that CPSP is associated with impaired temperature perception and positive sensory signs, but differences between patients with CPSP and NPSS are subtle. Both patients with CPSP and NPSS show considerable QST changes on the ipsilesional body side. These results are in part paralleled by recent findings of bilaterally spread cortical atrophy in CPSP and might reflect chronic maladaptive cortical plasticity, particularly in patients with CPSP.

The processing of food stimuli in abnormal eating: a systematic review of electrophysiology.

PubMed

Wolz, Ines; Fagundo, Ana B; Treasure, Janet; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando

2015-07-01

To update the knowledge about attentional processing of food stimuli, a systematic review of electrophysiological studies was conducted using PubMed, PsychInfo and Web of Knowledge (2000-2014). Twenty-one studies were included into a qualitative synthesis. Presentation of food and control pictures was used to analyze event-related potentials related to sensory processing and motivated attention. Results show consistent attentional bias towards food pictures compared with neutral pictures for patient and control groups. Group comparisons between individuals with abnormal-eating and healthy-eating participants were more inconsistent. Results suggest that temporal differences in the millisecond range are essential for the understanding of visual food processing. In obesity, early attention engagement to food is followed by relatice disengagement. Loss of control eating, as well as external and emotional eating, are associated with a sustained maintenance of attention towards high-caloric food. There is a lack of studies in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Stimulus train duration but not attention moderates γ-band entrainment abnormalities in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Hamm, Jordan P.; Bobilev, Anastasia M.; Hayrynen, Lauren K.; Hudgens-Haney, Matthew E.; Oliver, William T.; Parker, David A.; McDowell, Jennifer E.; Buckley, Peter A.; Clementz, Brett A.

2017-01-01

Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies of auditory steady-state responses (aSSRs) non-invasively probe gamma-band (40-Hz) oscillatory capacity in sensory cortex with high signal-to-noise ratio. Consistent reports of reduced 40-Hz aSSRs in persons with schizophrenia (SZ) indicate its potential as an efficient biomarker for the disease, but studies have been limited to passive or indirect listening contexts with stereotypically short (500ms) stimulus trains. An inability to modulate sensorineural processing in accord with behavioral goals or within the sensory environmental context may represent a fundamental deficit in SZ, but whether and how this deficit relates to reduced aSSRs is unknown. We systematically varied stimulus duration and attentional contexts to further mature the 40-Hz aSSR as biomarker for future translational or mechanistic studies. Eighteen SZ and 18 healthy subjects (H) were presented binaural pure-tones with or without sinusoidal amplitude modulation at 40-Hz. Stimulus duration (500-ms or 1500-ms) and attention (via a button press task) were varied across 4 separate blocks. Evoked potentials recorded with dense-array EEGs were analyzed in the time-frequency domain. SZ displayed reduced 40-Hz aSSRs to typical stimulation parameters, replicating previous findings. In H, aSSRs were reduced when stimuli were presented in longer trains and were slightly enhanced by attention. Only the former modulation was impaired in SZ and correlated with sensory discrimination performance. Thus, gamma-band aSSRs are modulated by both attentional and stimulus duration contexts, but only modulations related to physical stimulus properties are abnormal in SZ, supporting its status as a biomarker of psychotic perceptual disturbance involving non-attentional sensori-cortical circuits. PMID:25868936

Integrated Approach for Pain Management in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Geroin, Christian; Gandolfi, Marialuisa; Bruno, Veronica; Smania, Nicola; Tinazzi, Michele

2016-04-01

Pain, one of the most frequent nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), is recognized as an important component of the illness that adversely affects patient quality of life. The aims of this review are to summarize the current knowledge on the clinical assessment and to provide a detailed overview of the evidence-based pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches to treating pain. Results of a literature search include studies investigating pain/sensory abnormalities in PD. The effects of levodopa administration, deep brain stimulation (DBS), pallidotomy, spinal cord stimulation, rehabilitation, and complementary/alternative medicine are reviewed critically. PD patients have altered pain and sensory thresholds; levodopa and DBS improve pain and change sensory abnormalities toward normal levels through antinociceptive and/or modulatory effects that remain unknown. A wide range of nonpharmacologic approaches require further investigation. A multidisciplinary approach is fundamental in managing pain syndromes in PD.

A neural network model of normal and abnormal auditory information processing.

PubMed

Du, X; Jansen, B H

2011-08-01

The ability of the brain to attenuate the response to irrelevant sensory stimulation is referred to as sensory gating. A gating deficiency has been reported in schizophrenia. To study the neural mechanisms underlying sensory gating, a neuroanatomically inspired model of auditory information processing has been developed. The mathematical model consists of lumped parameter modules representing the thalamus (TH), the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), auditory cortex (AC), and prefrontal cortex (PC). It was found that the membrane potential of the pyramidal cells in the PC module replicated auditory evoked potentials, recorded from the scalp of healthy individuals, in response to pure tones. Also, the model produced substantial attenuation of the response to the second of a pair of identical stimuli, just as seen in actual human experiments. We also tested the viewpoint that schizophrenia is associated with a deficit in prefrontal dopamine (DA) activity, which would lower the excitatory and inhibitory feedback gains in the AC and PC modules. Lowering these gains by less than 10% resulted in model behavior resembling the brain activity seen in schizophrenia patients, and replicated the reported gating deficits. The model suggests that the TRN plays a critical role in sensory gating, with the smaller response to a second tone arising from a reduction in inhibition of TH by the TRN. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The natural history of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) in 97 Japanese patients.

PubMed

Fujisaki, Natsumi; Suwazono, Shugo; Suehara, Masahito; Nakachi, Ryo; Kido, Miwako; Fujiwara, Yoshihisa; Oshiro, Saki; Tokashiki, Takashi; Takashima, Hiroshi; Nakagawa, Masanori

2018-02-01

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) is a motor and sensory neuronopathy with autosomal dominant inheritance, adult onset, slowly progressive course, and is associated with TRK-fused gene (TFG) mutation. At advanced stages, respiratory failure and dysphagia becomes life-threatoning, and patients typically die by their 70s. Although there is currently no evidence for effective treatment, a therapy may be found by elucidation of the function of TFG. Recently its pathomechanism has been proposed to be associated with abnormalities in protein transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum. Such pathomechanisms might involve a similar process in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; thus, its pathomechanisms and treatment strategy might make it a good model for neurodegenerative disorders. It is of great value to clarify the natural history of HMSN-P, in oder to judge the treatment effect. By evaluating 97 patients (79 out of 97 were examined and all confirmed with p.Pro 285 Leu mutation) in this study, it was confirmed that this disease follows a uniform course in the earlier stages, and there are individual differences in the onset between 20 and 30 years. Such uniformity might be due to the proposed single gene abnormality. At advanced stages, there are larger individual differences in the progression, but the reasons for these are unknown. Longer survival might be achieved with a better care for respiratory failure and dysphagia if such cares were undertaken at appropriate times.

The natural history of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) in 97 Japanese patients

PubMed Central

Fujisaki, Natsumi; Suwazono, Shugo; Suehara, Masahito; Nakachi, Ryo; Kido, Miwako; Fujiwara, Yoshihisa; Oshiro, Saki; Tokashiki, Takashi; Takashima, Hiroshi; Nakagawa, Masanori

2018-01-01

Summary Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) is a motor and sensory neuronopathy with autosomal dominant inheritance, adult onset, slowly progressive course, and is associated with TRK-fused gene (TFG) mutation. At advanced stages, respiratory failure and dysphagia becomes life-threatoning, and patients typically die by their 70s. Although there is currently no evidence for effective treatment, a therapy may be found by elucidation of the function of TFG. Recently its pathomechanism has been proposed to be associated with abnormalities in protein transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum. Such pathomechanisms might involve a similar process in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; thus, its pathomechanisms and treatment strategy might make it a good model for neurodegenerative disorders. It is of great value to clarify the natural history of HMSN-P, in oder to judge the treatment effect. By evaluating 97 patients (79 out of 97 were examined and all confirmed with p.Pro 285 Leu mutation) in this study, it was confirmed that this disease follows a uniform course in the earlier stages, and there are individual differences in the onset between 20 and 30 years. Such uniformity might be due to the proposed single gene abnormality. At advanced stages, there are larger individual differences in the progression, but the reasons for these are unknown. Longer survival might be achieved with a better care for respiratory failure and dysphagia if such cares were undertaken at appropriate times. PMID:29552439

Ergonomics for enhancing detection of machine abnormalities.

PubMed

Illankoon, Prasanna; Abeysekera, John; Singh, Sarbjeet

2016-10-17

Detecting abnormal machine conditions is of great importance in an autonomous maintenance environment. Ergonomic aspects can be invaluable when detection of machine abnormalities using human senses is examined. This research outlines the ergonomic issues involved in detecting machine abnormalities and suggests how ergonomics would improve such detections. Cognitive Task Analysis was performed in a plant in Sri Lanka where Total Productive Maintenance is being implemented to identify sensory types that would be used to detect machine abnormalities and relevant Ergonomic characteristics. As the outcome of this research, a methodology comprising of an Ergonomic Gap Analysis Matrix for machine abnormality detection is presented.

Audiovisual perception in amblyopia: A review and synthesis.

PubMed

Richards, Michael D; Goltz, Herbert C; Wong, Agnes M F

2018-05-17

Amblyopia is a common developmental sensory disorder that has been extensively and systematically investigated as a unisensory visual impairment. However, its effects are increasingly recognized to extend beyond vision to the multisensory domain. Indeed, amblyopia is associated with altered cross-modal interactions in audiovisual temporal perception, audiovisual spatial perception, and audiovisual speech perception. Furthermore, although the visual impairment in amblyopia is typically unilateral, the multisensory abnormalities tend to persist even when viewing with both eyes. Knowledge of the extent and mechanisms of the audiovisual impairments in amblyopia, however, remains in its infancy. This work aims to review our current understanding of audiovisual processing and integration deficits in amblyopia, and considers the possible mechanisms underlying these abnormalities. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Linking assumptions in amblyopia

PubMed Central

LEVI, DENNIS M.

2017-01-01

Over the last 35 years or so, there has been substantial progress in revealing and characterizing the many interesting and sometimes mysterious sensory abnormalities that accompany amblyopia. A goal of many of the studies has been to try to make the link between the sensory losses and the underlying neural losses, resulting in several hypotheses about the site, nature, and cause of amblyopia. This article reviews some of these hypotheses, and the assumptions that link the sensory losses to specific physiological alterations in the brain. Despite intensive study, it turns out to be quite difficult to make a simple linking hypothesis, at least at the level of single neurons, and the locus of the sensory loss remains elusive. It is now clear that the simplest notion—that reduced contrast sensitivity of neurons in cortical area V1 explains the reduction in contrast sensitivity—is too simplistic. Considerations of noise, noise correlations, pooling, and the weighting of information also play a critically important role in making perceptual decisions, and our current models of amblyopia do not adequately take these into account. Indeed, although the reduction of contrast sensitivity is generally considered to reflect “early” neural changes, it seems plausible that it reflects changes at many stages of visual processing. PMID:23879956

Olfactory threshold increase in trigeminal neuralgia after balloon compression.

PubMed

Siqueira, S R D T; Nóbrega, J C M; Teixeira, M J; Siqueira, J T T

2006-12-01

Idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) is a well-known disease often treated with neurosurgical procedures, which may produce sensorial abnormalities, such as numbness, dysesthesia and taste complaints. We studied 12 patients that underwent this technique, in order to verify pain, gustative and olfactory thresholds abnormalities, with a follow-up of 120 days. We compared the patients with a matched control group of 12 patients. Our results found a significant difference in the olfactory threshold at the immediate post-operative period (p=0.048). We concluded that injured trigeminal fibers are probably associated with the increase in the olfactory threshold after the surgery, supporting the sensorial interaction theory.

Post-operative orofacial pain, temporomandibular dysfunction and trigeminal sensitivity after recent pterional craniotomy: preliminary study.

PubMed

Brazoloto, Thiago Medina; de Siqueira, Silvia Regina Dowgan Tesseroli; Rocha-Filho, Pedro Augusto Sampaio; Figueiredo, Eberval Gadelha; Teixeira, Manoel Jacobsen; de Siqueira, José Tadeu Tesseroli

2017-05-01

Surgical trauma at the temporalis muscle is a potential cause of post-craniotomy headache and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pain, masticatory dysfunction and trigeminal somatosensory abnormalities in patients who acquired aneurysms following pterional craniotomy. Fifteen patients were evaluated before and after the surgical procedure by a trained dentist. The evaluation consisted of the (1) research diagnostic criteria for TMD, (2) a standardized orofacial pain questionnaire and (3) a systematic protocol for quantitative sensory testing (QST) for the trigeminal nerve. After pterional craniotomy, 80% of the subjects, 12 patients, developed orofacial pain triggered by mandibular function. The pain intensity was measured by using the visual analog scale (VAS), and the mean pain intensity was 3.7. The prevalence of masticatory dysfunction was 86.7%, and there was a significant reduction of the maximum mouth opening. The sensory evaluation showed tactile and thermal hypoesthesia in the area of pterional access in all patients. There was a high frequency of temporomandibular dysfunction, postoperative orofacial pain and trigeminal sensory abnormalities. These findings can help to understand several abnormalities that can contribute to postoperative headache or orofacial pain complaints after pterional surgeries.

Chronic inflammatory pure sensory polyradiculoneuropathy: a rare CIDP variant with unusual electrophysiology.

PubMed

Rajabally, Yusuf A; Wong, Siew L

2012-03-01

We describe a patient presenting with progressive upper limb numbness and sensory ataxia of the 4 limbs. Motor nerve conduction studies were completely normal. Sensory electrophysiology showed reduced/absent upper limb sensory action potentials (SAPs). In the lower limbs, SAPs were mostly normal. Sensory conduction velocities were normal. Forearm sensory conduction blocks were present for both median nerves on antidromic testing. The maximal recordable sural SAP was preserved in comparison to maximal recordable radial SAP, consistent with an "abnormal radial normal sural" pattern. Somatosensory evoked potentials were unrecordable for tibial and median nerves. Cerebrospinal fluid protein was raised (0.99 g/L). The patient worsened on oral corticosteroids but subsequently made substantial functional recovery on intravenous immunoglobulins. This case is different to those previously reported of sensory chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, given its exclusive sensory electrophysiologic presentation, presence of predominant upper limb reduced sensory amplitudes, and detection of sensory conduction blocks. These electrophysiologic features were of paramount importance in establishing diagnosis and effective therapy.

Visual Attention in Autism Families: "Unaffected" Sibs Share Atypical Frontal Activation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belmonte, Matthew K.; Gomot, Marie; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2010-01-01

Background: In addition to their more clinically evident abnormalities of social cognition, people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) manifest perturbations of attention and sensory perception which may offer insights into the underlying neural abnormalities. Similar autistic traits in ASC relatives without a diagnosis suggest a continuity…

Hereditary sensory neuropathy type 1-associated deoxysphingolipids cause neurotoxicity, acute calcium handling abnormalities and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro.

PubMed

Wilson, Emma R; Kugathasan, Umaiyal; Abramov, Andrey Y; Clark, Alex J; Bennett, David L H; Reilly, Mary M; Greensmith, Linda; Kalmar, Bernadett

2018-05-18

Hereditary sensory neuropathy type 1 (HSN-1) is a peripheral neuropathy most frequently caused by mutations in the SPTLC1 or SPTLC2 genes, which code for two subunits of the enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). SPT catalyzes the first step of de novo sphingolipid synthesis. Mutations in SPT result in a change in enzyme substrate specificity, which causes the production of atypical deoxysphinganine and deoxymethylsphinganine, rather than the normal enzyme product, sphinganine. Levels of these abnormal compounds are elevated in blood of HSN-1 patients and this is thought to cause the peripheral motor and sensory nerve damage that is characteristic of the disease, by a largely unresolved mechanism. In this study, we show that exogenous application of these deoxysphingoid bases causes dose- and time-dependent neurotoxicity in primary mammalian neurons, as determined by analysis of cell survival and neurite length. Acutely, deoxysphingoid base neurotoxicity manifests in abnormal Ca 2+ handling by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria as well as dysregulation of cell membrane store-operated Ca 2+ channels. The changes in intracellular Ca 2+ handling are accompanied by an early loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in deoxysphingoid base-treated motor and sensory neurons. Thus, these results suggest that exogenous deoxysphingoid base application causes neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction and Ca 2+ handling deficits, which may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of HSN-1. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strabismus and the Oculomotor System: Insights from Macaque Models

PubMed Central

Das, Vallabh E.

2017-01-01

Disrupting binocular vision in infancy leads to strabismus and oftentimes to a variety of associated visual sensory deficits and oculomotor abnormalities. Investigation of this disorder has been aided by the development of various animal models, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. In comparison to studies of binocular visual responses in cortical structures, investigations of neural oculomotor structures that mediate the misalignment and abnormalities of eye movements have been more recent, and these studies have shown that different brain areas are intimately involved in driving several aspects of the strabismic condition, including horizontal misalignment, dissociated deviations, A and V patterns of strabismus, disconjugate eye movements, nystagmus, and fixation switch. The responses of cells in visual and oculomotor areas that potentially drive the sensory deficits and also eye alignment and eye movement abnormalities follow a general theme of disrupted calibration, lower sensitivity, and poorer specificity compared with the normally developed visual oculomotor system. PMID:28532347

Brief Report: Assessment of Sensory Abnormalities in People with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, James; Hare, Dougal Julian

2004-01-01

Sensory functioning has long been considered crucial in the life of people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) (Gillberg, C., & Coleman, M. (1992). "The Biology of Autistic Syndromes" (2nd ed.). London: Mac Keith press.) However, much of the research is methodologically flawed and based on child populations and adults' retrospective accounts (O…

Aristotle's illusion reveals interdigit functional somatosensory alterations in focal hand dystonia.

PubMed

Tinazzi, Michele; Marotta, Angela; Fasano, Alfonso; Bove, Francesco; Bentivoglio, Anna Rita; Squintani, Giovanna; Pozzer, Lara; Fiorio, Mirta

2013-03-01

In focal hand dystonia, the cortical somatosensory representation of the fingers is abnormal, with overlapping receptive fields and reduced interdigit separation. These abnormalities are associated with deficits in sensory perception, as previously demonstrated by applying tactile stimuli to one finger at a time. What is still unknown is whether the sensory deficits can be observed when tactile perception involves more than one finger. To address this issue, we applied 'Aristotle's illusion' to 15 patients with focal hand dystonia, 15 patients with dystonia not affecting the hand (blepharospasm and cervical dystonia) and 15 healthy control subjects. In this illusion, one object touching the contact point of two crossed fingertips is perceived as two objects by a blindfolded subject. The same object placed between two parallel fingertips is correctly perceived as one. The illusory doubling sensation is because of the fact that the contact point between the crossed fingers consists of non-adjacent and functionally unrelated skin regions, which usually send sensory signals to separate spots in the somatosensory cortex. In our study, participants were touched by one sphere between the second-third digits, the second-fourth digits and the fourth-fifth digits of both hands, either in crossed or in parallel position, and had to refer whether they felt one or two stimuli. The percentage of 'two stimuli' responses was an index of the illusory doubling. Both healthy control subjects and dystonic patients presented Aristotle's illusion when the fingers were crossed. However, patients with focal hand dystonia presented a significant reduction of the illusion when the sphere was placed between the crossed fourth and fifth digits of the affected hand. This reduction correlated with the severity of motor disease at the fingers. Similar findings were not observed in non-hand dystonia and control groups. The reduction of Aristotle's illusion in non-affected fingers and its preservation in affected fingers suggests dissociation between the abnormal processing of sensory signals and the motor impairment. Based on previous evidence showing that the sensory signals coming from the fourth digit determine lower activation in the somatosensory cortex than those coming from the fifth digit, we suggest that in the crossed position, the tactile information conveyed by the fifth digit prevailed over the fourth digit, thus resulting in the perception of one stimulus. The reduction of the illusory doubling perception, therefore, may represent the functional correlate of the different level of activation between the fourth and the fifth digit in the somatosensory cortex.

Heightened brain response to pain anticipation in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Gu, Xiaosi; Zhou, Thomas J; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Soorya, Latha; Kolevzon, Alexander; Hof, Patrick R; Fan, Jin

2018-03-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is marked by both socio-communicative difficulties and abnormalities in sensory processing. Much of the work on sensory deficits in ASD has focused on tactile sensations and the perceptual aspects of somatosensation, such as encoding of stimulus intensity and location. Although aberrant pain processing has often been noted in clinical observations of patients with ASD, it remains largely uninvestigated. Importantly, the neural mechanism underlying higher order cognitive aspects of pain processing such as pain anticipation also remains unknown. Here we examined both pain perception and anticipation in high-functioning adults with ASD and matched healthy controls (HC) using an anticipatory pain paradigm in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and concurrent skin conductance response (SCR) recording. Participants were asked to choose a level of electrical stimulation that would feel moderately painful to them. Compared to HC group, ASD group chose a lower level of stimulation prior to fMRI. However, ASD participants showed greater activation in both rostral and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during the anticipation of stimulation, but not during stimulation delivery. There was no significant group difference in insular activation during either pain anticipation or perception. However, activity in the left anterior insula correlated with SCR during pain anticipation. Taken together, these results suggest that ASD is marked with aberrantly higher level of sensitivity to upcoming aversive stimuli, which may reflect abnormal attentional orientation to nociceptive signals and a failure in interoceptive inference. © 2017 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Predicting motor development in very preterm infants at 12 months' corrected age: the role of qualitative magnetic resonance imaging and general movements assessments.

PubMed

Spittle, Alicia J; Boyd, Roslyn N; Inder, Terrie E; Doyle, Lex W

2009-02-01

The objective of this study was to compare the predictive value of qualitative MRI of brain structure at term and general movements assessments at 1 and 3 months' corrected age for motor outcome at 1 year's corrected age in very preterm infants. Eighty-six very preterm infants (<30 weeks' gestation) underwent MRI at term-equivalent age, were evaluated for white matter abnormality, and had general movements assessed at 1 and 3 months' corrected age. Motor outcome at 1 year's corrected age was evaluated with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, the Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment, and the diagnosis of cerebral palsy by the child's pediatrician. At 1 year of age, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale categorized 30 (35%) infants as suspicious/abnormal; the Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment categorized 16 (18%) infants with mild-to-severe motor dysfunction, and 5 (6%) infants were classified with cerebral palsy. White matter abnormality at term and general movements at 1 and 3 months significantly correlated with Alberta Infant Motor Scale and Neuro-Sensory Motor Development Assessment scores at 1 year. White matter abnormality and general movements at 3 months were the only assessments that correlated with cerebral palsy. All assessments had 100% sensitivity in predicting cerebral palsy. White matter abnormality demonstrated the greatest accuracy in predicting combined motor outcomes, with excellent levels of specificity (>90%); however, the sensitivity was low. On the other hand, general movements assessments at 1 month had the highest sensitivity (>80%); however, the overall accuracy was relatively low. Neuroimaging (MRI) and functional (general movements) examinations have important complementary roles in predicting motor development of very preterm infants.

Quantitative thermal sensory testing -- value of testing for both cold and warm sensation detection in evaluation of small fiber neuropathy.

PubMed

Shukla, Garima; Bhatia, Manvir; Behari, Madhuri

2005-10-01

Small fiber neuropathy is a common neurological disorder, often missed or ignored by physicians, since examination and routine nerve conduction studies are usually normal in this condition. Many methods including quantitative thermal sensory testing are currently being used for early detection of this condition, so as to enable timely investigation and treatment. This study was conducted to assess the yield of quantitative thermal sensory testing in diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy. We included patients presenting with history suggestive of positive and/or negative sensory symptoms, with normal examination findings, clinically suggestive of small fiber neuropathy, with normal or minimally abnormal routine nerve conduction studies. These patients were subjected to quantitative thermal sensory testing using a Medoc TSA-II Neurosensory analyser at two sites and for two modalities. QST data were compared with those in 120 normal healthy controls. Twenty-five patients (16 males, 9 females) with mean age 46.8+/-16.6 years (range: 21-75 years) were included in the study. The mean duration of symptoms was 1.6+/-1.6 years (range: 3 months-6 years). Eighteen patients (72%) had abnormal thresholds in at least one modality. Thermal thresholds were normal in 7 out of the 25 patients. This study demonstrates that quantitative thermal sensory testing is a fairly sensitive method for detection of small fiber neuropathy especially in patients with normal routine nerve conduction studies.

The imbalanced brain: from normal behavior to schizophrenia.

PubMed

Grossberg, S

2000-07-15

An outstanding problem in psychiatry concerns how to link discoveries about the pharmacological, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical substrates of mental disorders to the abnormal behaviors that they control. A related problem concerns how to understand abnormal behaviors on a continuum with normal behaviors. During the past few decades, neural models have been developed of how normal cognitive and emotional processes learn from the environment, focus attention and act upon motivationally important events, and cope with unexpected events. When arousal or volitional signals in these models are suitably altered, they give rise to symptoms that strikingly resemble negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including flat affect, impoverishment of will, attentional problems, loss of a theory of mind, thought derailment, hallucinations, and delusions. This article models how emotional centers of the brain, such as the amygdala, interact with sensory and prefrontal cortices (notably ventral, or orbital, prefrontal cortex) to generate affective states, attend to motivationally salient sensory events, and elicit motivated behaviors. Closing this feedback loop between cognitive and emotional centers is predicted to generate a cognitive-emotional resonance that can support conscious awareness. When such emotional centers become depressed, negative symptoms of schizophrenia emerge in the model. Such emotional centers are modeled as opponent affective processes, such as fear and relief, whose response amplitude and sensitivity are calibrated by an arousal level and chemical transmitters that slowly inactivate, or habituate, in an activity-dependent way. These opponent processes exhibit an Inverted-U, whereby behavior becomes depressed if the arousal level is chosen too large or too small. The negative symptoms are owing to the way in which the depressed opponent process interacts with other circuits throughout the brain.

Vocal learning beyond imitation: mechanisms of adaptive vocal development in songbirds and human infants

PubMed Central

Tchernichovski, Ofer; Marcus, Gary

2014-01-01

Studies of vocal learning in songbirds typically focus on the acquisition of sensory templates for song imitation and on the consequent process of matching song production to templates. However, functional vocal development also requires the capacity to adaptively diverge from sensory templates, and to flexibly assemble vocal units. Examples of adaptive divergence include the corrective imitation of abnormal songs, and the decreased tendency to copy overabundant syllables. Such frequency-dependent effects might mirror tradeoffs between the assimilation of group identity (culture) while establishing individual and flexibly expressive songs. Intriguingly, although the requirements for vocal plasticity vary across songbirds, and more so between birdsong and language, the capacity to flexibly assemble vocal sounds develops in a similar, stepwise manner across species. Therefore, universal features of vocal learning go well beyond the capacity to imitate. PMID:25005823

Restoring balance in focal limb dystonia with botulinum toxin.

PubMed

Sheean, Geoffrey

2007-12-15

Focal task-specific dystonia of the hand is rare in the general population, where it usually manifests as writer's cramp, but seems relatively common among musicians. The disability may be so severe as to prevent writing altogether or to end a professional musician's career. The cause is usually unknown but it is thought to be primarily a basal ganglia disorder with dysfunction of cortical-striatothalamic-cortical circuits. Abnormalities have been found in cortical movement preparation, intracortical inhibition, sensory and motor maps, and patterns of cortical activation during movement. Much evidence supports disordered processing of sensory information with disturbed sensorimotor integration. Underlying this may be maladaptive neural plasticity mechanisms. Treatment is difficult. Oral medications are generally ineffective and have troublesome side-effects. Intensive rehabilitation techniques based on neural plasticity theory show promise but are rarely available and are time-intensive. Botulinum toxin injections appear to be effective in writer's cramp and musician's dystonia, at least initially; long-term benefit is less common. Despite definite improvement, some patients abandon treatment because the gain is insufficient for meaningful function: this is particularly so for musicians. Much of the benefit from botulinum toxin injection comes from simply reducing muscle overactivity through muscle paralysis, restoring balance to motor control. However, some evidence suggests that botulinum toxin injections can produce transient improvement in some of the various cortical abnormalities described, probably through alteration of sensory input from the periphery, by direct and indirect means. These changes in cortical function might be usefully combined with those brought about by sensorimotor retraining programs, but such studies are awaited.

Opposite effects of ketamine and deep brain stimulation on rat thalamocortical information processing.

PubMed

Kulikova, Sofya P; Tolmacheva, Elena A; Anderson, Paul; Gaudias, Julien; Adams, Brendan E; Zheng, Thomas; Pinault, Didier

2012-11-01

Sensory and cognitive deficits are common in schizophrenia. They are associated with abnormal brain rhythms, including disturbances in γ frequency (30-80 Hz) oscillations (GFO) in cortex-related networks. However, the underlying anatomofunctional mechanisms remain elusive. Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that these deficits result from a hyporegulation of glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Here we modeled these deficits in rats with ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and a translational psychotomimetic substance at subanesthetic doses. We tested the hypothesis that ketamine-induced sensory deficits involve an impairment of the ability of the thalamocortical (TC) system to discriminate the relevant information from the baseline activity. Furthermore, we wanted to assess whether ketamine disrupts synaptic plasticity in TC systems. We conducted multisite network recordings in the rat somatosensory TC system, natural stimulation of the vibrissae and high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) of the thalamus. A single systemic injection of ketamine increased the amount of baseline GFO, reduced the amplitude of the sensory-evoked TC response and decreased the power of the sensory-evoked GFO. Furthermore, cortical application of ketamine elicited local and distant increases in baseline GFO. The ketamine effects were transient. Unexpectedly, HFS of the TC pathway had opposite actions. In conclusion, ketamine and thalamic HFS have opposite effects on the ability of the somatosensory TC system to discriminate the sensory-evoked response from the baseline GFO during information processing. Investigating the link between the state and function of the TC system may conceptually be a key strategy to design innovative therapies against neuropsychiatric disorders. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Cervical Vertigo: Historical Reviews and Advances.

PubMed

Peng, Baogan

2018-01-01

Vertigo is one of the most common presentations in adult patients. Among the various causes of vertigo, so-called cervical vertigo is still a controversial entity. Cervical vertigo was first thought to be due to abnormal input from cervical sympathetic nerves based on the work of Barré and Liéou in 1928. Later studies found that cerebral blood flow is not influenced by sympathetic stimulation. Ryan and Cope in 1955 proposed that abnormal sensory information from the damaged joint receptors of upper cervical regions may be related to pathologies of vertigo of cervical origin. Further studies found that cervical vertigo seems to originate from diseased cervical intervertebral discs. Recent research found that the ingrowth of a large number of Ruffini corpuscles into diseased cervical discs may be related to vertigo of cervical origin. Abnormal neck proprioceptive input integrated from the signals of Ruffini corpuscles in diseased cervical discs and muscle spindles in tense neck muscles secondary to neck pain is transmitted to the central nervous system and leads to a sensory mismatch with vestibular and other sensory information, resulting in a subjective feeling of vertigo and unsteadiness. Further studies are needed to illustrate the complex pathophysiologic mechanisms of cervical vertigo and to better understand and manage this perplexing entity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abnormal Size-Dependent Modulation of Motion Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

PubMed

Sysoeva, Olga V; Galuta, Ilia A; Davletshina, Maria S; Orekhova, Elena V; Stroganova, Tatiana A

2017-01-01

Excitation/Inhibition (E/I) imbalance in neural networks is now considered among the core neural underpinnings of autism psychopathology. In motion perception at least two phenomena critically depend on E/I balance in visual cortex: spatial suppression (SS), and spatial facilitation (SF) corresponding to impoverished or improved motion perception with increasing stimuli size, respectively. While SS is dominant at high contrast, SF is evident for low contrast stimuli, due to the prevalence of inhibitory contextual modulations in the former, and excitatory ones in the latter case. Only one previous study (Foss-Feig et al., 2013) investigated SS and SF in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our study aimed to replicate previous findings, and to explore the putative contribution of deficient inhibitory influences into an enhanced SF index in ASD-a cornerstone for interpretation proposed by Foss-Feig et al. (2013). The SS and SF were examined in 40 boys with ASD, broad spectrum of intellectual abilities (63 < IQ < 127) and 44 typically developing (TD) boys, aged 6-15 years. The stimuli of small (1°) and large (12°) radius were presented under high (100%) and low (1%) contrast conditions. Social Responsiveness Scale and Sensory Profile Questionnaire were used to assess the autism severity and sensory processing abnormalities. We found that the SS index was atypically reduced, while SF index abnormally enhanced in children with ASD. The presence of abnormally enhanced SF in children with ASD was the only consistent finding between our study and that of Foss-Feig et al. While the SS and SF indexes were strongly interrelated in TD participants, this correlation was absent in their peers with ASD. In addition, the SF index but not the SS index correlated with the severity of autism and the poor registration abilities. The pattern of results is partially consistent with the idea of hypofunctional inhibitory transmission in visual areas in ASD. Nonetheless, the absence of correlation between SF and SS indexes paired with a strong direct link between abnormally enhanced SF and autism symptoms in our ASD sample emphasizes the role of the enhanced excitatory influences by themselves in the observed abnormalities in low-level visual phenomena found in ASD.

Glutamatergic abnormalities of the thalamus in schizophrenia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Watis, L; Chen, S H; Chua, H C; Chong, S A; Sim, K

2008-01-01

The thalamus, a key information processing centre in facilitating sensory discrimination and cognitive processes, has been implicated in schizophrenia due to the increasing evidence showing structural and functional thalamic abnormalities. Glutamatergic abnormalities, in particular, have been examined since glutamate is one of the main neurotransmitters found in the thalamus. We aimed to review the existing literature (1978 till 2007) on post-mortem and in vivo studies of the various components of glutamatergic neurotransmission as well as studies of the glutamate receptor genes within the thalamus in schizophrenia. The literature search was done using multiple databases including Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO host, Pubmed and ScienceDirect. Keywords used were "glutamate", "thalamus", "schizophrenia", "abnormalities", and "glutamatergic". Further searches were made using the bibliographies in the main journals and related papers were obtained. The extant data suggest that abnormalities of the glutamate receptors as well as other molecules involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission (including glutamate transporters and associated proteins, N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-associated intracellular signaling proteins, and glutamatergic enzymes) are found within the thalamus in schizophrenia. There is a pressing need for more rapid replication of findings from post mortem and genetic studies as well as the promotion of multi-component or multi-modality assessments of glutamatergic anomalies within the thalamus in order to allow a better appreciation of disruptions in these molecular networks in schizophrenia. These and future findings may represent potential novel targets for antipsychotic drugs to ameliorate the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Sensory nerves are frequently involved in the spectrum of fisher syndrome.

PubMed

Shahrizaila, Nortina; Goh, Khean J; Kokubun, Norito; Tan, Ai H; Tan, Cheng Y; Yuki, Nobuhiro

2014-04-01

Differing patterns of neurophysiological abnormalities have been reported in patients with Fisher syndrome. Fisher syndrome is rare, and few series have incorporated prospective serial studies to define the natural history of nerve conduction studies in Guillain-Barré syndrome. In an ongoing prospective study of Guillain-Barré syndrome patients, patients who presented with Fisher syndrome and its spectrum of illness were assessed through serial neurological examinations, nerve conduction studies, and serological testing of IgG against gangliosides and ganglioside complexes. Of the 36 Guillain-Barré syndrome patients identified within 2 years, 17 had features of Fisher syndrome. Serial nerve conduction studies detected significant abnormalities in sensory nerve action potential amplitude in 94% of patients associated with 2 patterns of recovery-non-demyelinating reversible distal conduction failure and axonal regeneration. Similar changes were seen in motor nerves of 5 patients. Patients with the Fisher syndrome spectrum of illness have significant sensory involvement, which may only be evident with serial neurophysiological studies. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Gastrointestinal motility and sensory abnormalities may contribute to food refusal in medically fragile toddlers.

PubMed

Zangen, Tsili; Ciarla, Carla; Zangen, Samuel; Di Lorenzo, Carlo; Flores, Alex F; Cocjin, Jose; Reddy, Sarabudla Narasimha; Rowhani, Anita; Schwankovsky, Lenore; Hyman, Paul E

2003-09-01

In chronically ill children who refuse to eat, surgery to correct anatomic problems and behavioral treatments to overcome oral aversion often succeed. A few patients fail with standard treatments. The aims of the study were to: 1) investigate motility and gastric sensory abnormalities and 2) describe treatment that was individualized based on pathophysiology in children who failed surgery and behavioral treatments. We studied 14 patients (age 1.5-6; mean 2.5; M/F: 7/7). All had a lifelong history of food aversion and retching or vomiting persisting after feeding therapy and fundoplication. All were fed through gastrostomy or gastro-jejunostomy tubes. We studied esophageal and antroduodenal manometry, and gastric volume threshold for retching. We identified when gastric antral contractions were associated with retching and pain. A multidisciplinary treatment program included a variable combination of continuous post-pyloric feedings, drugs to decrease visceral pain, drugs for motility disorders, and behavioral, cognitive, and family therapy. We interviewed parents 2-6 months following testing to evaluate symptoms, mode of feeding and emotional health. We found a motility disorder alone in 2, decreased threshold for retching alone in 5 and both motility and sensory abnormalities in 7. After treatment, 6 of 14 (43%) began eating orally and 80% had improved emotional health. Retching decreased from 15 episodes per day to an average of 1.4 per day (p <0.01). Upper gastrointestinal motor and/or sensory disorders contributed to reduced quality of life for a majority of children and families with persistent feeding problems. A multidisciplinary approach improved symptoms and problems in these children

Two Novel Mutations in the GDAP1 and PRX Genes in Early Onset Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome

PubMed Central

Auer-Grumbach, M.; Fischer, C.; Papić, L.; John, E.; Plecko, B.; Bittner, R. E.; Bernert, G.; Pieber, T. R.; Miltenberger, G.; Schwarz, R.; Windpassinger, C.; Grill, F.; Timmerman, V.; Speicher, M. R.; Janecke, A. R.

2011-01-01

Autosomal recessive Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome (AR-CMT) is often characterised by an infantile disease onset and a severe phenotype. Mutations in the ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 (GDAP1) gene are thought to be a common cause of AR-CMT. Mutations in the periaxin (PRX) gene are rare. They are associated with severe demyelination of the peripheral nerves and sometimes lead to prominent sensory disturbances. To evaluate the frequency of GDAP1 and PRX mutations in early onset CMT, we examined seven AR-CMT families and 12 sporadic CMT patients, all presenting with progressive distal muscle weakness and wasting. In one family also prominent sensory abnormalities and sensory ataxia were apparent from early childhood. In three families we detected four GDAP1 mutations (L58LfsX4, R191X, L239F and P153L), one of which is novel and is predicted to cause a loss of protein function. In one additional family with prominent sensory abnormalities a novel homozygous PRX mutation was found (A700PfsX17). No mutations were identified in 12 sporadic cases. This study suggests that mutations in the GDAP1 gene are a common cause of early-onset AR-CMT. In patients with early-onset demyelinating AR-CMT and severe sensory loss PRX is one of the genes to be tested. PMID:18504680

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 deletion rescues auditory evoked potential habituation deficit in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome.

PubMed

Lovelace, Jonathan W; Wen, Teresa H; Reinhard, Sarah; Hsu, Mike S; Sidhu, Harpreet; Ethell, Iryna M; Binder, Devin K; Razak, Khaleel A

2016-05-01

Sensory processing deficits are common in autism spectrum disorders, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a leading genetic cause of intellectual disability and autism. Electrophysiological responses in humans with FXS show reduced habituation with sound repetition and this deficit may underlie auditory hypersensitivity in FXS. Our previous study in Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice revealed an unusually long state of increased sound-driven excitability in auditory cortical neurons suggesting that cortical responses to repeated sounds may exhibit abnormal habituation as in humans with FXS. Here, we tested this prediction by comparing cortical event related potentials (ERP) recorded from wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 KO mice. We report a repetition-rate dependent reduction in habituation of N1 amplitude in Fmr1 KO mice and show that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), one of the known FMRP targets, contributes to the reduced ERP habituation. Our studies demonstrate a significant up-regulation of MMP-9 levels in the auditory cortex of adult Fmr1 KO mice, whereas a genetic deletion of Mmp-9 reverses ERP habituation deficits in Fmr1 KO mice. Although the N1 amplitude of Mmp-9/Fmr1 DKO recordings was larger than WT and KO recordings, the habituation of ERPs in Mmp-9/Fmr1 DKO mice is similar to WT mice implicating MMP-9 as a potential target for reversing sensory processing deficits in FXS. Together these data establish ERP habituation as a translation relevant, physiological pre-clinical marker of auditory processing deficits in FXS and suggest that abnormal MMP-9 regulation is a mechanism underlying auditory hypersensitivity in FXS. Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the leading known genetic cause of autism spectrum disorders. Individuals with FXS show symptoms of auditory hypersensitivity. These symptoms may arise due to sustained neural responses to repeated sounds, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. For the first time, this study shows deficits in habituation of neural responses to repeated sounds in the Fmr1 KO mice as seen in humans with FXS. We also report an abnormally high level of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) in the auditory cortex of Fmr1 KO mice and that deletion of Mmp-9 from Fmr1 KO mice reverses habituation deficits. These data provide a translation relevant electrophysiological biomarker for sensory deficits in FXS and implicate MMP-9 as a target for drug discovery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abnormal neuronal response to rectal and anal stimuli in patients treated with primary radiotherapy for anal cancer.

PubMed

Haas, Susanne; Faaborg, Pia; Gram, Mikkel; Lundby, Lilli; Brock, Christina; Drewes, Anbjørn M; Laurberg, Søren; Krogh, Klaus; Christensen, Peter

2018-04-26

Sphincter-sparing radiotherapy or chemoradiation (RT/CRT) have become the standard treatments for most patients with anal cancer. Unfortunately, long-term survivors often suffer from severe bowel symptoms indicating sensory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to characterize the sensory pathways of the brain-gut axis after radiotherapy for anal cancer. Cortical evoked potentials (CEPs) were recorded during repeated, rapid balloon distensions of the rectum and anal canal in 13 patients with anal cancer treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiation and in 17 healthy volunteers. Latencies and amplitudes of rectal CEPs were compared between the groups. CEPs from both rectal and anal distensions were examined using single sweep spectral band analysis to determine the relative amplitude of five spectral bands as a proxy of neuronal processing. Groups were comparable by age (62.4 ± 7.8 vs 58.9 ± 8.9, p < 0.32) and gender. Patients had a mean Wexner fecal incontinence score of 5.5 (±3.8) and median LARS Score of 29 (0-39). Rectal CEP latencies were prolonged in patients (F = 11.7; p < 0.001), whereas amplitudes were similar (F = 0.003; p = 0.96). Spectral analysis of CEPs from rectal distensions showed significant differences between groups in theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (12-32 Hz) and gamma (32-70 Hz) bands (all p < 0.001) and CEPs from anal distensions showed significant differences in the alpha, beta and gamma bands (all p ≤ 0.002). Patients treated with RT/CRT for anal cancer have impaired ano-rectal sensory pathways and abnormal cortical processing. This may play a central role for the pathogenesis of late proctopathy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Auditory dysfunction in schizophrenia: integrating clinical and basic features

PubMed Central

Javitt, Daniel C.; Sweet, Robert A.

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that is associated with persistent psychosocial disability in affected individuals. Although studies of schizophrenia have traditionally focused on deficits in higher-order processes such as working memory and executive function, there is an increasing realization that, in this disorder, deficits can be found throughout the cortex and are manifest even at the level of early sensory processing. These deficits are highly amenable to translational investigation and represent potential novel targets for clinical intervention. Deficits, moreover, have been linked to specific structural abnormalities in post-mortem auditory cortex tissue from individuals with schizophrenia, providing unique insights into underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. PMID:26289573

Sensory Constraints on Birdsong Syntax: Neural Responses to Swamp Sparrow Songs with Accelerated Trill Rates

PubMed Central

Prather, JF; Peters, S; Mooney, R; Nowicki, S

2013-01-01

Both sensory and motor mechanisms can constrain behavioral performance. Sensory mechanisms may be especially important for constraining behaviors that depend on experience, such as learned birdsongs. Swamp sparrows learn to sing by imitating the song of a tutor, but sparrows fail to accurately imitate artificial tutor songs with abnormally accelerated trills, instead singing brief and rapid trills interrupted by silent gaps. This “broken syntax” has been proposed to arise from vocal-motor limitations. Here we consider whether sensory limitations exist that could also contribute to broken syntax. We tested this idea by recording auditory-evoked activity of sensorimotor neurons in the swamp sparrow’s brain that are known to be important for the learning, performance and perception of song. In freely behaving adult sparrows that sang songs with normal syntax, neurons were detected that exhibited precisely time-locked activity to each repetition of the syllable in a trill when presented at a natural rate. Those cells failed to faithfully follow syllables presented at an accelerated rate, however, and their failure to respond to consecutive syllables increased as a function of trill rate. This “flickering” auditory representation in animals performing normal syntax reveals a central constraint on the sensory processing of rapid trills. Furthermore, because these neurons are implicated in both song learning and perception, and because auditory flickering began to occur at accelerated trill rates previously associated with the emergence of broken song syntax, these sensory constraints may contribute to the emergence of broken syntax. PMID:23976787

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterka, Robert J.; Black, F. Owen

1987-01-01

The objectives of this proposal were developed to further explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation, if any, between motion sickness and orientation reference selection. The overall objectives of this proposal are to determine (1) if motion sickness susceptibility is related to sensory orientation reference selection abilities of subjects, (2) if abnormal vertical canal-otolith function is the source of these abnormal posture control strategies and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements, and (3) if quantifiable measures of perception of vestibular and visual motion cues can be related to motion sickness susceptibility and to orientation reference selection ability demonstrated by tests which systematically control the sensory imformation available for orientation.

Auditory processing deficits in individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma.

PubMed

Rance, Gary; O'Hare, Fleur; O'Leary, Stephen; Starr, Arnold; Ly, Anna; Cheng, Belinda; Tomlin, Dani; Graydon, Kelley; Chisari, Donella; Trounce, Ian; Crowston, Jonathan

2012-01-01

The high energy demand of the auditory and visual pathways render these sensory systems prone to diseases that impair mitochondrial function. Primary open-angle glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve, has recently been associated with a spectrum of mitochondrial abnormalities. This study sought to investigate auditory processing in individuals with open-angle glaucoma. DESIGN/STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-seven subjects with open-angle glaucoma underwent electrophysiologic (auditory brainstem response), auditory temporal processing (amplitude modulation detection), and speech perception (monosyllabic words in quiet and background noise) assessment in each ear. A cohort of age, gender and hearing level matched control subjects was also tested. While the majority of glaucoma subjects in this study demonstrated normal auditory function, there were a significant number (6/27 subjects, 22%) who showed abnormal auditory brainstem responses and impaired auditory perception in one or both ears. The finding that a significant proportion of subjects with open-angle glaucoma presented with auditory dysfunction provides evidence of systemic neuronal susceptibility. Affected individuals may suffer significant communication difficulties in everyday listening situations.

Sensory tricks and brain excitability in cervical dystonia: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

PubMed

Amadio, Stefano; Houdayer, Elise; Bianchi, Francesca; Tesfaghebriel Tekle, Habtom; Urban, Ivan Pietro; Butera, Calogera; Guerriero, Roberta; Cursi, Marco; Leocani, Letizia; Comi, Giancarlo; Del Carro, Ubaldo

2014-08-01

Sensory tricks such as touching the face with fingertips often improve cervical dystonia [CD]. This study is to determine whether sensory tricks modulate motor cortex excitability, assessed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation [p-pTMS]. Eight patients with rotational CD underwent p-pTMS, at rest and when the sensory trick was applied. To test intracortical inhibition [ICI] and facilitation [ICF], the amplitude ratio between conditioned and unconditioned cortical motor evoked potentials was measured at several interstimulus intervals (ISI 1, 3, 15, and 20 ms) and compared with controls mimicking patients' sensory tricks. At rest, a significant ICF enhancement was found at ISIs 15 through 20 in patients compared with controls, whereas no significant ICI changes were observed. Sensory tricks significantly reduced the abnormal ICF in patients and did not induce any change in controls. In our CD patients, sensory tricks seem to improve dystonia through an inhibitory effect on motor cortex excitability. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 deletion rescues auditory evoked potential habituation deficit in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Lovelace, Jonathan W.; Wen, Teresa H.; Reinhard, Sarah; Hsu, Mike S.; Sidhu, Harpreet; Ethell, Iryna M.; Binder, Devin K.; Razak, Khaleel A.

2016-01-01

Sensory processing deficits are common in autism spectrum disorders, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a leading genetic cause of intellectual disability and autism. Electrophysiological responses in humans with FXS show reduced habituation with sound repetition and this deficit may underlie auditory hypersensitivity in FXS. Our previous study in Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice revealed an unusually long state of increased sound-driven excitability in auditory cortical neurons suggesting that cortical responses to repeated sounds may exhibit abnormal habituation as in humans with FXS. Here, we tested this prediction by comparing cortical event related potentials (ERP) recorded from wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 KO mice. We report a repetition-rate dependent reduction in habituation of N1 amplitude in Fmr1 KO mice and show that matrix metalloproteinase −9 (MMP-9), one of the known FMRP targets, contributes to the reduced ERP habituation. Our studies demonstrate a significant up-regulation of MMP-9 levels in the auditory cortex of adult Fmr1 KO mice, whereas a genetic deletion of Mmp-9 reverses ERP habituation deficits in Fmr1 KO mice. Although the N1 amplitude of Mmp-9/Fmr1 DKO recordings was larger than WT and KO recordings, the habituation of ERPs in Mmp-9/Fmr1 DKO mice is similar to WT mice implicating MMP-9 as a potential target for reversing sensory processing deficits in FXS. Together these data establish ERP habituation as a translation relevant, physiological pre-clinical marker of auditory processing deficits in FXS and suggest that abnormal MMP-9 regulation is a mechanism underlying auditory hypersensitivity in FXS. PMID:26850918

Sparse coding can predict primary visual cortex receptive field changes induced by abnormal visual input.

PubMed

Hunt, Jonathan J; Dayan, Peter; Goodhill, Geoffrey J

2013-01-01

Receptive fields acquired through unsupervised learning of sparse representations of natural scenes have similar properties to primary visual cortex (V1) simple cell receptive fields. However, what drives in vivo development of receptive fields remains controversial. The strongest evidence for the importance of sensory experience in visual development comes from receptive field changes in animals reared with abnormal visual input. However, most sparse coding accounts have considered only normal visual input and the development of monocular receptive fields. Here, we applied three sparse coding models to binocular receptive field development across six abnormal rearing conditions. In every condition, the changes in receptive field properties previously observed experimentally were matched to a similar and highly faithful degree by all the models, suggesting that early sensory development can indeed be understood in terms of an impetus towards sparsity. As previously predicted in the literature, we found that asymmetries in inter-ocular correlation across orientations lead to orientation-specific binocular receptive fields. Finally we used our models to design a novel stimulus that, if present during rearing, is predicted by the sparsity principle to lead robustly to radically abnormal receptive fields.

Sparse Coding Can Predict Primary Visual Cortex Receptive Field Changes Induced by Abnormal Visual Input

PubMed Central

Hunt, Jonathan J.; Dayan, Peter; Goodhill, Geoffrey J.

2013-01-01

Receptive fields acquired through unsupervised learning of sparse representations of natural scenes have similar properties to primary visual cortex (V1) simple cell receptive fields. However, what drives in vivo development of receptive fields remains controversial. The strongest evidence for the importance of sensory experience in visual development comes from receptive field changes in animals reared with abnormal visual input. However, most sparse coding accounts have considered only normal visual input and the development of monocular receptive fields. Here, we applied three sparse coding models to binocular receptive field development across six abnormal rearing conditions. In every condition, the changes in receptive field properties previously observed experimentally were matched to a similar and highly faithful degree by all the models, suggesting that early sensory development can indeed be understood in terms of an impetus towards sparsity. As previously predicted in the literature, we found that asymmetries in inter-ocular correlation across orientations lead to orientation-specific binocular receptive fields. Finally we used our models to design a novel stimulus that, if present during rearing, is predicted by the sparsity principle to lead robustly to radically abnormal receptive fields. PMID:23675290

Lower urinary tract dysfunction in critical illness polyneuropathy.

PubMed

Reitz, André

2013-01-01

Critical illness polyneuropathy is a frequent complication of critical illness in intensive care units. Reports on autonomic systems like lower urinary tract and bowel functions in patients with CIP are not available in medical literature. This study performed during primary rehabilitation of patients with critical illness polyneuropathy explores if sensory and motor pathways controlling the lower urinary tract function are affected from the disease. Neurourological examinations, urodynamics, electromyography and lower urinary tract imaging were performed in 28 patients with critical illness polyneuropathy. Sacral sensation was impaired in 1 patient (4%). Sacral reflexes were absent in 8 patients (30%). Anal sphincter resting tone was reduced in 3 (12%), anal sphincter voluntary contraction was absent or reduced in 8 patients (30%). Urodynamic findings were detrusor overactivity and detrusor overactivity incontinence in 9 (37.5%), incomplete voiding in 8 (30%), abnormal sphincter activity in 4 (16%), abnormal bladder sensation in 4 (16%) and detrusor acontractility in 2 patients (8.3%). Morphological abnormalities of the lower urinary tract had 10 patients (41.6%). Sensory and motor pathways controlling the lower urinary tract might be affected from CIP. During urodynamics dysfunctions of the storage as well as the voiding phase were found. Morphological lower urinary tract abnormalities were common.

Sensory aspects in myasthenia gravis: A translational approach.

PubMed

Leon-Sarmiento, Fidias E; Leon-Ariza, Juan S; Prada, Diddier; Leon-Ariza, Daniel S; Rizzo-Sierra, Carlos V

2016-09-15

Myasthenia gravis is a paradigmatic muscle disorder characterized by abnormal fatigue and muscle weakness that worsens with activities and improves with rest. Clinical and research studies done on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have advanced our knowledge of the muscle involvement in myasthenia. Current views still state that sensory deficits are not "features of myasthenia gravis". This article discusses the gap that exists on sensory neural transmission in myasthenia that has remained after >300years of research in this neurological disorder. We outline the neurobiological characteristics of sensory and motor synapses, reinterpret the nanocholinergic commonalities that exist in both sensory and motor pathways, discuss the clinical findings on altered sensory pathways in myasthenia, and propose a novel way to score anomalies resulting from multineuronal inability associated sensory troubles due to eugenic nanocholinergic instability and autoimmunity. This medicine-based evidence could serve as a template to further identify novel targets for studying new medications that may offer a better therapeutic benefit in both sensory and motor dysfunction for patients. Importantly, this review may help to re-orient current practices in myasthenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased Functional Connectivity Between Subcortical and Cortical Resting-State Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Cerliani, Leonardo; Mennes, Maarten; Thomas, Rajat M.; Di Martino, Adriana; Thioux, Marc; Keysers, Christian

2016-01-01

Importance Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit severe difficulties in social interaction, motor coordination, behavioral flexibility, and atypical sensory processing, with considerable interindividual variability. This heterogeneous set of symptoms recently led to investigating the presence of abnormalities in the interaction across large-scale brain networks. To date, studies have focused either on constrained sets of brain regions or whole-brain analysis, rather than focusing on the interaction between brain networks. Objectives To compare the intrinsic functional connectivity between brain networks in a large sample of individuals with ASD and typically developing control subjects and to estimate to what extent group differences would predict autistic traits and reflect different developmental trajectories. Design, Setting, and Participants We studied 166 male individuals (mean age, 17.6 years; age range, 7-50 years) diagnosed as having DSM-IV-TR autism or Asperger syndrome and 193 typical developing male individuals (mean age, 16.9 years; age range, 6.5-39.4 years) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants were matched for age, IQ, head motion, and eye status (open or closed) in the MRI scanner. We analyzed data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), an aggregated MRI data set from 17 centers, made public in August 2012. Main Outcomes and Measures We estimated correlations between time courses of brain networks extracted using a data-driven method (independent component analysis). Subsequently, we associated estimates of interaction strength between networks with age and autistic traits indexed by the Social Responsiveness Scale. Results Relative to typically developing control participants, individuals with ASD showed increased functional connectivity between primary sensory networks and subcortical networks (thalamus and basal ganglia) (all t ≥ 3.13, P < .001 corrected). The strength of such connections was associated with the severity of autistic traits in the ASD group (all r ≥ 0.21, P < .0067 corrected). In addition, subcortico-cortical interaction decreased with age in the entire sample (all r ≤ −0.09, P < .012 corrected), although this association was significant only in typically developing participants (all r ≤ −0.13, P < .009 corrected). Conclusions and Relevance Our results showing ASD-related impairment in the interaction between primary sensory cortices and subcortical regions suggest that the sensory processes they subserve abnormally influence brain information processing in individuals with ASD. This might contribute to the occurrence of hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity and of difficulties in top-down regulation of behavior. PMID:26061743

Suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing: from perception to intelligence

PubMed Central

Tadin, Duje

2015-01-01

Perception operates on an immense amount of incoming information that greatly exceeds the brain's processing capacity. Because of this fundamental limitation, the ability to suppress irrelevant information is a key determinant of perceptual efficiency. Here, I will review a series of studies investigating suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing, namely perceptual suppression of large, background-like motions. These spatial suppression mechanisms are adaptive, operating only when sensory inputs are sufficiently robust to guarantee visibility. Converging correlational and causal evidence links these behavioral results with inhibitory center-surround mechanisms, namely those in cortical area MT. Spatial suppression is abnormally weak in several special populations, including the elderly and those with schizophrenia—a deficit that is evidenced by better-than-normal direction discriminations of large moving stimuli. Theoretical work shows that this abnormal weakening of spatial suppression should result in motion segregation deficits, but direct behavioral support of this hypothesis is lacking. Finally, I will argue that the ability to suppress information is a fundamental neural process that applies not only to perception but also to cognition in general. Supporting this argument, I will discuss recent research that shows individual differences in spatial suppression of motion signals strongly predict individual variations in IQ scores. PMID:26299386

Mecanismos de plasticidad (funcional y dependiente de actividad) en el cerebro auditivo adulto y en desarrollo

PubMed Central

Izquierdo, M.A.; Oliver, D.L.; Malmierca, M.S.

2010-01-01

Summary Introduction and development Sensory systems show a topographic representation of the sensory epithelium in the central nervous system. In the auditory system this representation originates tonotopic maps. For the last four decades these changes in tonotopic maps have been widely studied either after peripheral mechanical lesions or by exposing animals to an augmented acoustic environment. These sensory manipulations induce plastic reorganizations in the tonotopic map of the auditory cortex. By contrast, acoustic trauma does not seem to induce functional plasticity at subcortical nuclei. Mechanisms that generate these changes differ in their molecular basis and temporal course and we can distinguish two different mechanisms: those involving an active reorganization process, and those that show a simple reflection of the loss of peripheral afferences. Only the former involve a genuine process of plastic reorganization. Neuronal plasticity is critical for the normal development and function of the adult auditory system, as well as for the rehabilitation needed after the implantation of auditory prostheses. However, development of plasticity can also generate abnormal sensation like tinnitus. Recently, a new concept in neurobiology so-called ‘neuronal stability’ has emerged and its implications and conceptual basis could help to improve the treatments of hearing loss. Conclusion A combination of neuronal plasticity and stability is suggested as a powerful and promising future strategy in the design of new treatments of hearing loss. PMID:19340783

Emotion, Decision-Making and Substance Dependence: A Somatic-Marker Model of Addiction

PubMed Central

Verdejo-García, A; Pérez-García, M; Bechara, A

2006-01-01

Similar to patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions, substance dependent individuals (SDI) show signs of impairments in decision-making, characterised by a tendency to choose the immediate reward at the expense of severe negative future consequences. The somatic-marker hypothesis proposes that decision-making depends in many important ways on neural substrates that regulate homeostasis, emotion and feeling. According to this model, there should be a link between abnormalities in experiencing emotions in SDI, and their severe impairments in decision-making in real-life. Growing evidence from neuroscientific studies suggests that core aspects of substance addiction may be explained in terms of abnormal emotional guidance of decision-making. Behavioural studies have revealed emotional processing and decision-making deficits in SDI. Combined neuropsychological and physiological assessment has demonstrated that the poorer decision-making of SDI is associated with altered reactions to reward and punishing events. Imaging studies have shown that impaired decision-making in addiction is associated with abnormal functioning of a distributed neural network critical for the processing of emotional information, including the ventromedial cortex, the amygdala, the striatum, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the insular/somato-sensory cortices, as well as non-specific neurotransmitter systems that modulate activities of neural processes involved in decision-making. The aim of this paper is to review this growing evidence, and to examine the extent of which these studies support a somatic-marker model of addiction. PMID:18615136

CONGENITAL ABNORMALITIES OF CRANIAL NERVE DEVELOPMENT: OVERVIEW, MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, AND FURTHER EVIDENCE OF HETEROGENEITY AND COMPLEXITY OF SYNDROMES WITH CONGENITAL LIMITATION OF EYE MOVEMENTS

PubMed Central

Traboulsi, Elias I

2004-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose The clinical and molecular genetic classification of syndromes with congenital limitation of eye movements and evidence of cranial nerve dysgenesis continues to evolve. This monograph details clinical and molecular genetic data on a number of families and isolated patients with congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles (CFEOM) and related disorders, and presents an overview of the mechanisms of abnormal patterns of motor and sensory cranial nerve development in these rare syndromes. Methods Clinical examination of one patient with CFEOM1, one family with clinical features of CFEOM2, one family with recessive CFEOM3, one family with horizontal gaze palsy and progressive scoliosis (HGPPS), and four patients with various combinations of congenital cranial nerve abnormalities. Genotyping of families with CFEOM and HGPPS for polymorphic markers in the regions of the three known CFEOM loci and in the HGPPS region, and mutation analysis of the ARIX and KIF21A genes in patients with CFEOM were performed according to standard published protocols. Results The patient with CFEOM1 had the second most common mutation in KIF21A, a 2861 G>A mutation that resulted in an R954Q substitution. The family with CFEOM2 phenotype did not map to the CFEOM2 locus. The family with recessive CFEOM3 did not map to any of the known loci. The HGPPS family mapped to 11q23–q25. One patient had optic nerve hypoplasia and fifth nerve dysfunction. Two patients had the rare combination of Möbius syndrome and CFEOM. One patient had Möbius syndrome and fifth nerve dysfunction. Conclusions There is genetic heterogeneity in CFEOM2 and CFEOM3. Abnormalities in sensory nerves can also accompany abnormalities of motor nerves, further substantiating the effect of individual mutations on developing motor as well as sensory cranial nerve nuclei. PMID:15747768

The non-motor syndrome of primary dystonia: clinical and pathophysiological implications

PubMed Central

Stamelou, Maria; Edwards, Mark J.; Hallett, Mark

2012-01-01

Dystonia is typically considered a movement disorder characterized by motor manifestations, primarily involuntary muscle contractions causing twisting movements and abnormal postures. However, growing evidence indicates an important non-motor component to primary dystonia, including abnormalities in sensory and perceptual functions, as well as neuropsychiatric, cognitive and sleep domains. Here, we review this evidence and discuss its clinical and pathophysiological implications. PMID:21933808

Low-level neural auditory discrimination dysfunctions in specific language impairment-A review on mismatch negativity findings.

PubMed

Kujala, Teija; Leminen, Miika

2017-12-01

In specific language impairment (SLI), there is a delay in the child's oral language skills when compared with nonverbal cognitive abilities. The problems typically relate to phonological and morphological processing and word learning. This article reviews studies which have used mismatch negativity (MMN) in investigating low-level neural auditory dysfunctions in this disorder. With MMN, it is possible to tap the accuracy of neural sound discrimination and sensory memory functions. These studies have found smaller response amplitudes and longer latencies for speech and non-speech sound changes in children with SLI than in typically developing children, suggesting impaired and slow auditory discrimination in SLI. Furthermore, they suggest shortened sensory memory duration and vulnerability of the sensory memory to masking effects. Importantly, some studies reported associations between MMN parameters and language test measures. In addition, it was found that language intervention can influence the abnormal MMN in children with SLI, enhancing its amplitude. These results suggest that the MMN can shed light on the neural basis of various auditory and memory impairments in SLI, which are likely to influence speech perception. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Terminal changes in hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy: a long-term follow-up of a sporadic case.

PubMed

Lee, Sang-Soo; Lee, Sung-Hyun; Han, Seol-Heui

2003-07-01

We describe terminal changes in a long-term follow-up of a 51-year-old man with sporadic hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN). From the age of 15 years onwards, he suffered from multiple painless ulcers of his feet and fingers, necessitating amputation. Neurological studies revealed almost complete sensory loss affecting all modalities in the upper and lower limbs, minimal involvement of motor fibers, and areflexia. A neurophysiological abnormality involved an absence of sensory action potentials with relatively normal motor nerve conduction velocities. Biopsy of the sural nerve showed almost total loss of myelinated fibers with a mild decrease in unmyelinated fibers. Despite the late onset of the disease, the progressive course, and the lancinating pain, the terminal features of this patient, which involved a selective loss of myelinated fibers and widespread sensory loss, seem to be symptomatic of HSAN II, the progressive form of autosomal recessive sensory neuropathy, and emphasize the clinical heterogeneity of HSAN.

Abnormal Size-Dependent Modulation of Motion Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

PubMed Central

Sysoeva, Olga V.; Galuta, Ilia A.; Davletshina, Maria S.; Orekhova, Elena V.; Stroganova, Tatiana A.

2017-01-01

Excitation/Inhibition (E/I) imbalance in neural networks is now considered among the core neural underpinnings of autism psychopathology. In motion perception at least two phenomena critically depend on E/I balance in visual cortex: spatial suppression (SS), and spatial facilitation (SF) corresponding to impoverished or improved motion perception with increasing stimuli size, respectively. While SS is dominant at high contrast, SF is evident for low contrast stimuli, due to the prevalence of inhibitory contextual modulations in the former, and excitatory ones in the latter case. Only one previous study (Foss-Feig et al., 2013) investigated SS and SF in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our study aimed to replicate previous findings, and to explore the putative contribution of deficient inhibitory influences into an enhanced SF index in ASD—a cornerstone for interpretation proposed by Foss-Feig et al. (2013). The SS and SF were examined in 40 boys with ASD, broad spectrum of intellectual abilities (63 < IQ < 127) and 44 typically developing (TD) boys, aged 6–15 years. The stimuli of small (1°) and large (12°) radius were presented under high (100%) and low (1%) contrast conditions. Social Responsiveness Scale and Sensory Profile Questionnaire were used to assess the autism severity and sensory processing abnormalities. We found that the SS index was atypically reduced, while SF index abnormally enhanced in children with ASD. The presence of abnormally enhanced SF in children with ASD was the only consistent finding between our study and that of Foss-Feig et al. While the SS and SF indexes were strongly interrelated in TD participants, this correlation was absent in their peers with ASD. In addition, the SF index but not the SS index correlated with the severity of autism and the poor registration abilities. The pattern of results is partially consistent with the idea of hypofunctional inhibitory transmission in visual areas in ASD. Nonetheless, the absence of correlation between SF and SS indexes paired with a strong direct link between abnormally enhanced SF and autism symptoms in our ASD sample emphasizes the role of the enhanced excitatory influences by themselves in the observed abnormalities in low-level visual phenomena found in ASD. PMID:28405183

Hereditary Neuropathy With Liability to Pressure Palsies: Diverse Phenotypes in Childhood.

PubMed

Harada, Yohei; Puwanant, Araya; Herrmann, David N

2016-12-01

Hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) is a rare autosomal-dominant disorder that most commonly produces recurrent painless focal sensory and motor neuropathies often preceded by minor, mechanical stress, or minor trauma. Herein, we report 2 pediatric cases of HNPP with atypical presentations; isolated muscle cramping and toe walking. Electrophysiologic testing disclosed multifocal sensorimotor polyneuropathy with slowing of sensory conduction velocities in both cases, which prompted PMP 22 gene deletion testing. Multifocal sensorimotor electrophysiologic abnormalities, with slowing of sensory conduction velocities should raise consideration of HNPP in childhood. These case reports emphasize that the diagnosis of HNPP in children requires a high index of suspicion.

BINDING, SPATIAL ATTENTION AND PERCEPTUAL AWARENESS

PubMed Central

Robertson, Lynn C.

2012-01-01

The world is experienced as a unified whole, but sensory systems do not deliver it to the brain in this way. Signals from different sensory modalities are initially registered in separate brain areas —even within a modality, features of the sensory mosaic such as colour, size, shape and motion are fragmented and registered in specialized areas of the cortex. How does this information become bound together in experience? Findings from the study of abnormal binding — for example, after stroke — and unusual binding — as in synaesthesia — might help us to understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms that contribute to solving this ‘binding problem’. PMID:12563280

An Analysis of the Symptomatic Domains Most Relevant to Charcot Marie Tooth Neuropathy (CMT) Patients

ClinicalTrials.gov

2017-06-09

Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT); Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy; Nerve Compression Syndromes; Tooth Diseases; Congenital Abnormalities; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System

Diurnal variation in Cotard's syndrome (copresent with Capgras delusion) following traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Butler, P V

2000-08-01

The aim of this paper is to document regular nocturnal intensification of delusional nihilistic and persecutory ideas (Cotard delusion) linked with extreme depersonalisation and hypervivid dreaming. A 17-year-old man presented with Cotard and Capgras delusions after sustaining multiple cognitive impairments secondary to traumatic brain injury. Delusional ideation fully resolved within 14 days of commencement of olanzapine 5 mg daily. This patient's experience of perceptual abnormalities and impairments in meta-abilities related to self-monitoring and critical inferencing lends support to multicomponent sensory processing accounts of brain injury related, content-specific delusional syndromes.

[Role of short-latency somatosensory evoked potential in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy].

PubMed

Sun, Rui-Di; Fu, Bing; Jiang, Jun

2017-05-01

To investigate the role of short-latency somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). A total of 48 children with a confirmed or suspected CIDP and 40 healthy children were enrolled. Nerve electrophysiological examination and/or SSEP examination was performed (the children in the healthy control group only underwent SSEP examination). Four-lead electromyography was used for nerve electrophysiological examination, including at least 4 motor nerves and 2 sensory nerves. N6 (elbow potential), N13 (cervical cord potential), and N20 (cortex potential) of the median nerve and N8 (popliteal fossa potential), N22 (lumbar cord potential), and P39 (cortex potential) of the tibial nerve were observed by SSEP examination. Among the 48 children with CIDP, 35 had demyelination in both motor and sensory nerves, 8 had demyelination in sensory nerves, and 5 had axonal degeneration. SSEP examination showed that 7 had conduction abnormality in the trunk of the brachial plexus and/or the posterior root and 33 had damage in the lumbosacral plexus and/or the posterior root. The 40 children with abnormal findings of SSEP examination included 8 children with affected sensory nerves and 5 children with secondary axonal degeneration who did not meet the electrophysiological diagnostic criteria for CIDP. Compared with the healthy control group, the CIDP group had significantly prolonged latency periods of N13 and N22 (P<0.05). SSEP can be used for the auxiliary diagnosis of CIDP, especially in CIDP children with affected sensory nerves or secondary axonal degeneration.

Sensory Gating and Alpha-7 Nicotinic Receptor Gene Allelic Variants in Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type

PubMed Central

Martin, Laura F.; Leonard, Sherry; Hall, Mei-Hua; Tregellas, Jason R.; Freedman, Robert; Olincy, Ann

2011-01-01

Objectives Single nucleotide allelic variants in the promoter region of the chromosome 15 alpha-7 acetylcholine nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) are associated with both schizophrenia and the P50 auditory evoked potential sensory gating deficit. The purpose of this study was to determine if CHRNA7 promoter allelic variants are also associated with abnormal P50 ratios in persons with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Methods P50 auditory evoked potentials were recorded in a paired stimulus paradigm in 17 subjects with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. The P50 test to conditioning ratio was used as the measure of sensory gating. Mutation screening of the CHRNA7 promoter region was performed on the subjects’ DNA samples. Comparisons to previously obtained data from persons with schizophrenia and controls were made. Results Subjects with schizophrenia, regardless of allele status, had an abnormal mean P50 ratio. Subjects with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type and a variant allele had an abnormal mean P50 ratio, whereas those schizoaffective subjects with the common alleles had a normal mean P50 ratio. Normal control subjects had a normal mean ratio, but controls with variant alleles had higher P50 ratios. Conclusions In persons with bipolar type schizoaffective disorder, CHRNA7 promoter region allelic variants are linked to the capacity to inhibit the P50 auditory evoked potential and thus are associated with a type of illness genetically and biologically more similar to schizophrenia. PMID:17192894

CNTN6 mutations are risk factors for abnormal auditory sensory perception in autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Mercati, O; Huguet, G; Danckaert, A; André-Leroux, G; Maruani, A; Bellinzoni, M; Rolland, T; Gouder, L; Mathieu, A; Buratti, J; Amsellem, F; Benabou, M; Van-Gils, J; Beggiato, A; Konyukh, M; Bourgeois, J-P; Gazzellone, M J; Yuen, R K C; Walker, S; Delépine, M; Boland, A; Régnault, B; Francois, M; Van Den Abbeele, T; Mosca-Boidron, A L; Faivre, L; Shimoda, Y; Watanabe, K; Bonneau, D; Rastam, M; Leboyer, M; Scherer, S W; Gillberg, C; Delorme, R; Cloëz-Tayarani, I; Bourgeron, T

2017-04-01

Contactin genes CNTN5 and CNTN6 code for neuronal cell adhesion molecules that promote neurite outgrowth in sensory-motor neuronal pathways. Mutations of CNTN5 and CNTN6 have previously been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but very little is known on their prevalence and clinical impact. In this study, we identified CNTN5 and CNTN6 deleterious variants in individuals with ASD. Among the carriers, a girl with ASD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was carrying five copies of CNTN5. For CNTN6, both deletions (6/1534 ASD vs 1/8936 controls; P=0.00006) and private coding sequence variants (18/501 ASD vs 535/33480 controls; P=0.0005) were enriched in individuals with ASD. Among the rare CNTN6 variants, two deletions were transmitted by fathers diagnosed with ASD, one stop mutation CNTN6 W923X was transmitted by a mother to her two sons with ASD and one variant CNTN6 P770L was found de novo in a boy with ASD. Clinical investigations of the patients carrying CNTN5 or CNTN6 variants showed that they were hypersensitive to sounds (a condition called hyperacusis) and displayed changes in wave latency within the auditory pathway. These results reinforce the hypothesis of abnormal neuronal connectivity in the pathophysiology of ASD and shed new light on the genes that increase risk for abnormal sensory perception in ASD.

Divergent sensory phenotypes in nonspecific arm pain: comparisons with cervical radiculopathy.

PubMed

Moloney, Niamh; Hall, Toby; Doody, Catherine

2015-02-01

To investigate whether distinct sensory phenotypes were identifiable in individuals with nonspecific arm pain (NSAP) and whether these differed from those in people with cervical radiculopathy. A secondary question considered whether the frequency of features of neuropathic pain, kinesiophobia, high pain ratings, hyperalgesia, and allodynia differed according to subgroups of sensory phenotypes. Cross-sectional study. Higher education institution. Forty office workers with NSAP, 17 people with cervical radiculopathy, and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (N=97). Not applicable. Participants were assessed using quantitative sensory testing (QST) comprising thermal and vibration detection thresholds and thermal and pressure pain thresholds; clinical examination; and relevant questionnaires. Sensory phenotypes were identified for each individual in the patient groups using z-score transformation of the QST data. Individuals with NSAP and cervical radiculopathy present with a spectrum of sensory abnormalities; a dominant sensory phenotype was not identifiable in individuals with NSAP. No distinct pattern between clinical features and questionnaire results across sensory phenotypes was identified in either group. When considering sensory phenotypes, neither individuals with NSAP nor individuals with cervical radiculopathy should be considered homogeneous. Therefore, people with either condition may warrant different intervention approaches according to their individual sensory phenotype. Issues relating to the clinical identification of sensory hypersensitivity and the validity of QST are highlighted. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Habituation deficit of auditory N100m in patients with fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Choi, W; Lim, M; Kim, J S; Chung, C K

2016-11-01

Habituation refers to the brain's inhibitory mechanism against sensory overload and its brain correlate has been investigated in the form of a well-defined event-related potential, N100 (N1). Fibromyalgia is an extensively described chronic pain syndrome with concurrent manifestations of reduced tolerance and enhanced sensation of painful and non-painful stimulation, suggesting an association with central amplification of all sensory domains. Among diverse sensory modalities, we utilized repetitive auditory stimulation to explore the anomalous sensory information processing in fibromyalgia as evidenced by N1 habituation. Auditory N1 was assessed in 19 fibromyalgia patients and age-, education- and gender-matched 21 healthy control subjects under the duration-deviant passive oddball paradigm and magnetoencephalography recording. The brain signal of the first standard stimulus (following each deviant) and last standard stimulus (preceding each deviant) were analysed to identify N1 responses. N1 amplitude difference and adjusted amplitude ratio were computed as habituation indices. Fibromyalgia patients showed lower N1 amplitude difference (left hemisphere: p = 0.004; right hemisphere: p = 0.034) and adjusted N1 amplitude ratio (left hemisphere: p = 0.001; right hemisphere: p = 0.052) than healthy control subjects, indicating deficient auditory habituation. Further, augmented N1 amplitude pattern (p = 0.029) during the stimulus repetition was observed in fibromyalgia patients. Fibromyalgia patients failed to demonstrate auditory N1 habituation to repetitively presenting stimuli, which indicates their compromised early auditory information processing. Our findings provide neurophysiological evidence of inhibitory failure and cortical augmentation in fibromyalgia. WHAT'S ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: Fibromyalgia has been associated with altered filtering of irrelevant somatosensory input. However, whether this abnormality can extend to the auditory sensory system remains controversial. N!00, an event-related potential, has been widely utilized to assess the brain's habituation capacity against sensory overload. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: Fibromyalgia patients showed defect in N100 habituation to repetitive auditory stimuli, indicating compromised early auditory functioning. This study identified deficient inhibitory control over irrelevant auditory stimuli in fibromyalgia. © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Neurofilament light polypeptide gene N98S mutation in mice leads to neurofilament network abnormalities and a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Type 2E phenotype.

PubMed

Adebola, Adijat A; Di Castri, Theo; He, Chui-Zhen; Salvatierra, Laura A; Zhao, Jian; Brown, Kristy; Lin, Chyuan-Sheng; Worman, Howard J; Liem, Ronald K H

2015-04-15

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder with a prevalence of 1 in 2500 people worldwide. Patients suffer from degeneration of the peripheral nerves that control sensory information of the foot/leg and hand/arm. Multiple mutations in the neurofilament light polypeptide gene, NEFL, cause CMT2E. Previous studies in transfected cells showed that expression of disease-associated neurofilament light chain variants results in abnormal intermediate filament networks associated with defects in axonal transport. We have now generated knock-in mice with two different point mutations in Nefl: P8R that has been reported in multiple families with variable age of onset and N98S that has been described as an early-onset, sporadic mutation in multiple individuals. Nefl(P8R/+) and Nefl(P8R/P8R) mice were indistinguishable from Nefl(+/+) in terms of behavioral phenotype. In contrast, Nefl(N98S/+) mice had a noticeable tremor, and most animals showed a hindlimb clasping phenotype. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed multiple inclusions in the cell bodies and proximal axons of spinal cord neurons, disorganized processes in the cerebellum and abnormal processes in the cerebral cortex and pons. Abnormal processes were observed as early as post-natal day 7. Electron microscopic analysis of sciatic nerves showed a reduction in the number of neurofilaments, an increase in the number of microtubules and a decrease in the axonal diameters. The Nefl(N98S/+) mice provide an excellent model to study the pathogenesis of CMT2E and should prove useful for testing potential therapies. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Understanding the role of the primary somatosensory cortex: Opportunities for rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Borich, M.R.; Brodie, S.M.; Gray, W.A.; Ionta, S.; Boyd, L.A.

2016-01-01

Emerging evidence indicates impairments in somatosensory function may be a major contributor to motor dysfunction associated with neurologic injury or disorders. However, the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the connection between aberrant sensory input and ineffective motor output are still under investigation. The primary somatosensory cortex (S1) plays a critical role in processing afferent somatosensory input and contributes to the integration of sensory and motor signals necessary for skilled movement. Neuroimaging and neurostimulation approaches provide unique opportunities to non-invasively study S1 structure and function including connectivity with other cortical regions. These research techniques have begun to illuminate casual contributions of abnormal S1 activity and connectivity to motor dysfunction and poorer recovery of motor function in neurologic patient populations. This review synthesizes recent evidence illustrating the role of S1 in motor control, motor learning and functional recovery with an emphasis on how information from these investigations may be exploited to inform stroke rehabilitation to reduce motor dysfunction and improve therapeutic outcomes. PMID:26164474

Neurophysiology and new techniques to assess esophageal sensory function: an update.

PubMed

Brock, Christina; McCallum, Richard W; Gyawali, C Prakash; Farmer, Adam D; Frøkjaer, Jens Brøndum; McMahon, Barry P; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr

2016-09-01

This review aims to discuss the neurophysiology of the esophagus and new methods to assess esophageal nociception. Pain and other symptoms can be caused by diseases in the mucosa or muscular or sphincter dysfunction, together with abnormal pain processing, either in the peripheral or central nervous systems. Therefore, we present new techniques in the assessment of esophageal function and the potential role of the mucosal barrier in the generation and propagation of pain. We discuss the assessment and role of esophageal sphincters in nociception, as well as imaging and electrophysiological techniques, with examples of their use in understanding the sensory system following noxious stimuli to the esophagus. Additionally, we discuss the mechanisms behind functional diseases of the esophagus. We conclude that the new methods have identified many of the mechanisms behind malfunction of the mucosa, disturbances of muscular and sphincter functions, and the central response to different stimuli. Taken together, this has increased our understanding of esophageal disorders and may lead to new treatment modalities. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

Sjögren-Larsson syndrome in dizygous twin sisters.

PubMed

David, T J

1980-01-01

Two dizygous twin sisters with the Sjögren-Larsson syndrome are described. There was parental consanguinity, and the condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive. The main features are mental retardation, spastic diplegia and ichthyosis. Sensory defects of gums and abnormal facial movements were found in the twins, these being recognised features of the syndrome. It is suggested that the condition may be due to an abnormality of the neural crest.

[Neurological soft signs in schizophrenia: correlations with age, sex, educational status and psychopathology].

PubMed

Panagiotidis, P; Kaprinis, G; Iacovides, A; Fountoulakis, K

2013-01-01

Though the pathobiology of schizophrenia can be examined in multiple levels, the organic notion of brain disease suggests that neurological features will be present. One straightforward, inexpensive method of investigating brain dysfunction in schizophrenia is thought the bedside assessment of neurological abnormalities with a standard neurological examination. Neurological abnormalities are traditionally classified as "hard signs" (impairments in basic motor, sensory, and reflex behaviors, which do not appear to be affected in schizophrenia) and "soft signs", which refer to more complex phenomena such as abnormalities in motor control, integrative sensory function, sensorimotor integration, and cerebral laterality. Additionally, neurological soft signs (NSS) are minor motor and sensory abnormalities that are considered to be normal in the course of early development but abnormal when elicited in later life or persist beyond childhood. Soft signs also, have no definitive localizing significance but are indicative of subtle brain dysfunction. Most authors believe that they are a reflection not only of deficient integration between the sensory and motor systems, but also of dysfunctional neuronal circuits linking subcortical brain structures such as the basal ganglia, the brain stem, and the limbic system. Throughout the last four decades, studies have consistently shown that NSS are more frequently present in patients with schizophrenia than in normal subjects and non-psychotic psychiatric patients. However, the functional relevance of NSS remains unclear and their specificity has often been challenged, even though there is indication for a relative specificity with regard to diagnosis, or symptomatology. Many studies have considered soft signs as categorical variables thus hampering the evaluation of fluctuation with symptomatology and/or treatment, whereas other studies included insufficient number of assessed signs, or lacked a comprehensive assessment of extrapyramidal symptomatology. Factors such as sex, age or family history of schizophrenia, are said to influence the performance of neurological examination, whereas relative few studies have provided longitudinal follow-up data on neurological soft signs in a sufficient number of patients, in order to address a possible deterioration of neurological functions. Finally, one additional difficulty when analyzing the NSS literature lies in the diversity of symptoms that are evaluated in the studies and/or non-standardized procedures or scoring. We will review some basic issues concerning recurrent difficulties in the measurement and definition of soft signs, as well as controversies on the significance of these signs with respect to clinical subtyping of schizophrenia, and social and demographic variables.

Suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing: From perception to intelligence.

PubMed

Tadin, Duje

2015-10-01

Perception operates on an immense amount of incoming information that greatly exceeds the brain's processing capacity. Because of this fundamental limitation, the ability to suppress irrelevant information is a key determinant of perceptual efficiency. Here, I will review a series of studies investigating suppressive mechanisms in visual motion processing, namely perceptual suppression of large, background-like motions. These spatial suppression mechanisms are adaptive, operating only when sensory inputs are sufficiently robust to guarantee visibility. Converging correlational and causal evidence links these behavioral results with inhibitory center-surround mechanisms, namely those in cortical area MT. Spatial suppression is abnormally weak in several special populations, including the elderly and individuals with schizophrenia-a deficit that is evidenced by better-than-normal direction discriminations of large moving stimuli. Theoretical work shows that this abnormal weakening of spatial suppression should result in motion segregation deficits, but direct behavioral support of this hypothesis is lacking. Finally, I will argue that the ability to suppress information is a fundamental neural process that applies not only to perception but also to cognition in general. Supporting this argument, I will discuss recent research that shows individual differences in spatial suppression of motion signals strongly predict individual variations in IQ scores. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Abnormal neural hierarchy in processing of verbal information in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lerner, Yulia; Bleich-Cohen, Maya; Solnik-Knirsh, Shimrit; Yogev-Seligmann, Galit; Eisenstein, Tamir; Madah, Waheed; Shamir, Alon; Hendler, Talma; Kremer, Ilana

2018-01-01

Previous research indicates abnormal comprehension of verbal information in patients with schizophrenia. Yet the neural mechanism underlying the breakdown of verbal information processing in schizophrenia is poorly understood. Imaging studies in healthy populations have shown a network of brain areas involved in hierarchical processing of verbal information over time. Here, we identified critical aspects of this hierarchy, examining patients with schizophrenia. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined various levels of information comprehension elicited by naturally presented verbal stimuli; from a set of randomly shuffled words to an intact story. Specifically, patients with first episode schizophrenia ( N  = 15), their non-manifesting siblings ( N  = 14) and healthy controls ( N  = 15) listened to a narrated story and randomly scrambled versions of it. To quantify the degree of dissimilarity between the groups, we adopted an inter-subject correlation (inter-SC) approach, which estimates differences in synchronization of neural responses within and between groups. The temporal topography found in healthy and siblings groups were consistent with our previous findings - high synchronization in responses from early sensory toward high order perceptual and cognitive areas. In patients with schizophrenia, stimuli with short and intermediate temporal scales evoked a typical pattern of reliable responses, whereas story condition (long temporal scale) revealed robust and widespread disruption of the inter-SCs. In addition, the more similar the neural activity of patients with schizophrenia was to the average response in the healthy group, the less severe the positive symptoms of the patients. Our findings suggest that system-level neural indication of abnormal verbal information processing in schizophrenia reflects disease manifestations.

Motor Neuron Diseases

MedlinePlus

... and can detect abnormalities in sensory nerves. Laboratory tests of blood, urine, or other substances can rule out muscle diseases and other disorders that may have symptoms similar to those of MND. For example, analysis of the fluid that surrounds the brain ...

Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory neuropathy type IA

MedlinePlus

... by nerve abnormalities in the legs and feet (peripheral neuropathy). Many people with this condition experience prickling or ... Research Network: Inherited Neuropathies Consortium The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy: Symptoms General Information from MedlinePlus (5 links) Diagnostic ...

Sensory Neuropathy Due to Loss of Bcl-w

PubMed Central

Courchesne, Stephanie L.; Karch, Christoph; Pazyra-Murphy, Maria F.; Segal, Rosalind A.

2010-01-01

Small fiber sensory neuropathy is a common disorder in which progressive degeneration of small diameter nociceptors causes decreased sensitivity to thermal stimuli and painful sensations in the extremities. In the majority of patients, the cause of small fiber sensory neuropathy is unknown, and treatment options are limited. Here, we show that Bcl-w (Bcl-2l2) is required for the viability of small fiber nociceptive sensory neurons. Bcl-w −/− mice demonstrate an adult-onset progressive decline in thermosensation and a decrease in nociceptor innervation of the epidermis. This denervation occurs without cell body loss, indicating that lack of Bcl-w results in a primary axonopathy. Consistent with this phenotype, we show that Bcl-w, in contrast to the closely related Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, is enriched in axons of sensory neurons and that Bcl-w prevents the dying back of axons. Bcl-w −/− sensory neurons exhibit mitochondrial abnormalities, including alterations in axonal mitochondrial size, axonal mitochondrial membrane potential, and cellular ATP levels. Collectively, these data establish bcl-w −/− mice as an animal model of small fiber sensory neuropathy, and provide new insight regarding the role of bcl-w and of mitochondria in preventing axonal degeneration. PMID:21289171

Comparison of LEP and QST and their contribution to standard sensory diagnostic assessment of spinal lesions: a pilot study.

PubMed

Geber, Christian; Baumgärtner, Ulf; Fechir, Marcel; Vogt, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Treede, Rolf-Detlef

2011-06-01

This study evaluates the additional use of laser-evoked potentials (LEP) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) in the sensory assessment of spinal lesions. Four consecutive patients with spinal lesions verified by MRI and clinical evidence for mild spinothalamic tract involvement were included. The electrophysiological workup [somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and LEP] was compared to QST. Electrophysiology and QST were reassessed after about 6 months. LEP detected impaired spinothalamic tract function in 7/8 examinations. QST pointed to spinothalamic tract lesions by loss of thermal function (3/8); most frequent positive sensory signs (3/8) were paradoxical heat sensations. LEP and QST results were concordant in 6/8 examinations. SEPs were abnormal in 2/8 examinations. Congruent results between SEP and both LEP and QST were obtained in 3/8 examinations. LEP detected more deficits than any single QST parameter or their combination but additional QST allows the detection of positive sensory signs. The diagnostic gain of SEP was limited.

Age effects on sensory-processing abilities and their impact on handwriting.

PubMed

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Hus, Sari; Rosenblum, Sara

2012-12-01

Sensory-processing abilities are known to deteriorate in the elderly. As a result, daily activities such as handwriting may be impaired. Yet, knowledge about sensory-processing involvement in handwriting characteristics among older persons is limited. To examine how age influences sensory-processing abilities and the impact on handwriting as a daily performance. The study participants were 118 healthy, independently functioning adults divided into four age groups: 31-45, 46-60, 61-75 and 76+ years. All participants completed the Adolescent/ Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Handwriting process was documented using the Computerized Handwriting Penmanship Evaluation Tool (ComPET). Age significantly affects sensory processing and handwriting pressure as well as temporal and spatial measures. Both handwriting time and spatial organization of the written product were predicted by sensory seeking. When examining age contribution to the prediction of handwriting by sensory processing, sensory seeking showed a tendency for predicting handwriting pressure (p = .06), while sensory sensitivity significantly predicted handwriting velocity. Age appears to influence sensory-processing abilities and affect daily performance tasks, such as handwriting, for which sensitivity and seeking for sensations are essential. Awareness of clinicians to sensory-processing deficits among older adults and examining their impact on broader daily activities are essential to improve daily performance and quality of life.

Sensory, psychological, and metabolic dysfunction in HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy: A cross-sectional deep profiling study

PubMed Central

Phillips, Tudor J.C.; Brown, Matthew; Ramirez, Juan D.; Perkins, James; Woldeamanuel, Yohannes W.; Williams, Amanda C. de C.; Orengo, Christine; Bennett, David L.H.; Bodi, Istvan; Cox, Sarah; Maier, Christoph; Krumova, Elena K.; Rice, Andrew S.C.

2014-01-01

HIV-associated sensory neuropathy (HIV-SN) is a frequent complication of HIV infection and a major source of morbidity. A cross-sectional deep profiling study examining HIV-SN was conducted in people living with HIV in a high resource setting using a battery of measures which included the following: parameters of pain and sensory symptoms (7 day pain diary, Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory [NPSI] and Brief Pain Inventory [BPI]), sensory innervation (structured neurological examination, quantitative sensory testing [QST] and intraepidermal nerve fibre density [IENFD]), psychological state (Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 [PASS-20], Depression Anxiety and Positive Outlook Scale [DAPOS], and Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS], insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]), and quality of life (Short Form (36) Health Survey [SF-36]). The diagnostic utility of the Brief Peripheral Neuropathy Screen (BPNS), Utah Early Neuropathy Scale (UENS), and Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS) were evaluated. Thirty-six healthy volunteers and 66 HIV infected participants were recruited. A novel triumvirate case definition for HIV-SN was used that required 2 out of 3 of the following: 2 or more abnormal QST findings, reduced IENFD, and signs of a peripheral neuropathy on a structured neurological examination. Of those with HIV, 42% fulfilled the case definition for HIV-SN (n = 28), of whom 75% (n = 21) reported pain. The most frequent QST abnormalities in HIV-SN were loss of function in mechanical and vibration detection. Structured clinical examination was superior to QST or IENFD in HIV-SN diagnosis. HIV-SN participants had higher plasma triglyceride, concentrations depression, anxiety and catastrophizing scores, and prevalence of insomnia than HIV participants without HIV-SN. PMID:24973717

Dystonin/Bpag1 is a necessary endoplasmic reticulum/nuclear envelope protein in sensory neurons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Young, Kevin G.; University of Ottawa Center for Neuromuscular Disease, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario; Kothary, Rashmi

2008-09-10

Dystonin/Bpag1 proteins are cytoskeletal linkers whose loss of function in mice results in a hereditary sensory neuropathy with a progressive loss of limb coordination starting in the second week of life. These mice, named dystonia musculorum (dt), succumb to the disease and die of unknown causes prior to sexual maturity. Previous evidence indicated that cytoskeletal defects in the axon are a primary cause of dt neurodegeneration. However, more recent data suggests that other factors may be equally important contributors to the disease process. In the present study, we demonstrate perikaryal defects in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons at stages precedingmore » the onset of loss of limb coordination in dt mice. Abnormalities include alterations in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone protein expression, indicative of an ER stress response. Dystonin in sensory neurons localized in association with the ER and nuclear envelope (NE). A fusion protein ofthe dystonin-a2 isoform, which harbors an N-terminal transmembrane domain, associated with and reorganized the ER in cell culture. This isoform also interacts with the NE protein nesprin-3{alpha}, but not nesprin-3{beta}. Defects in dt mice, as demonstrated here, may ultimately result in pathogenesis involving ER dysfunction and contribute significantly to the dt phenotype.« less

Writer's cramp: increased dorsal premotor activity during intended writing.

PubMed

Delnooz, Cathérine C S; Helmich, Rick C; Medendorp, W P; Van de Warrenburg, Bart P C; Toni, Ivan

2013-03-01

Simple writer's cramp (WC) is a task-specific form of dystonia, characterized by abnormal movements and postures of the hand during writing. It is extremely task-specific, since dystonic symptoms can occur when a patient uses a pencil for writing, but not when it is used for sharpening. Maladaptive plasticity, loss of inhibition, and abnormal sensory processing are important pathophysiological elements of WC. However, it remains unclear how those elements can account for its task-specificity. We used fMRI to isolate cerebral alterations associated with the task-specificity of simple WC. Subjects (13 simple WC patients, 20 matched controls) imagined grasping a pencil to either write with it or sharpen it. On each trial, we manipulated the pencil's position and the number of imagined movements, while monitoring variations in motor output with electromyography. We show that simple WC is characterized by abnormally increased activity in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) when imagined actions are specifically related to writing. This cerebral effect was independent from the known deficits in dystonia in generating focal motor output and in processing somatosensory feedback. This abnormal activity of the PMd suggests that the task-specific element of simple WC is primarily due to alterations at the planning level, in the computations that transform a desired action outcome into the motor commands leading to that action. These findings open the way for testing the therapeutic value of interventions that take into account the computational substrate of task-specificity in simple WC, e.g. modulations of PMd activity during the planning phase of writing. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Features of peripheral nerve injuries in workers exposed to vibration: an analysis of 197 cases].

PubMed

Situ, J; Lin, C M; Qin, Z H; Zhu, D X; Lin, H; Zhang, F F; Zhang, J J

2016-12-20

Objective: To investigate the features of peripheral nerve injuries in workers exposed to vibration. Methods: A total of 197 male workers [median age: 34 years (21 - 50 years) ; median working years of vibration exposure: 7.3 years (1 - 20 years) ] engaged in grinding in an enterprise were enrolled. Their clinical data and electromyography results were analyzed to investigate the features of peripheral nerve impairment. Results: Of all workers, 96 (48.73%) had abnormal electromyography results. Of all workers, 88 (44.7%) had simple mild median nerve injury in the wrist, who accounted for 91.7% (88/96) of all workers with abnormal electromy-ography results. Six workers had ulnar nerve injury, superficial radial nerve injury, or/and superficial peroneal nerve injury and accounted for 6.3% of all workers with abnormal electromyography results. Of all workers, 88 had a reduced amplitude of median nerve sensory transduction, and 28 had slowed median nerve sensory transduction. A total of 46 workers were diagnosed with occupational hand-arm vibration disease and hospitalized for treatment. They were followed up for more than 4 months after leaving their jobs, and most of them showed improvements in neural electromyography results and returned to a normal state. Conclusion: Workers exposed to vibration have a high incidence rate of nerve injury in the hand, mainly sensory function impairment at the distal end of the median nerve, and all injuries are mild peripheral nerve injuries. After leaving the vibration job and being treated, most workers can achieve improvements and return to a normal state.

Relationship between Semmes-Weinstein Monofilaments perception Test and sensory nerve conduction studies in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

PubMed

Raji, Parvin; Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin; Naghdi, Soofia; Forogh, Bijan; Hasson, Scott

2014-01-01

The Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament Test (SWMT) is a clinical widely used test to quantify the sensibility in patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). No study has investigated the relationship between the SWMT and sensory nerve conduction studies (SNCS) in patients with CTS. To assess the relationship between the SWMT and SNCS findings in patients with CTS. This cross-sectional clinical measurement study included 35 patients with CTS (55 hands) with a mean age of 45 ± 12 years. The outcome measures were the SWMT and SNCS measures of distal latency (DLs), amplitude (AMPs), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV). The median innervated fingers were tested using SWMT and electrodiagnostic tests. The primary outcome was the correlations between the SWMTs and NCS measures. All of the patients/hands had abnormal NCS findings. When looking at the three digits of interest (thumb, index and middle), the thumb SWMTs had the highest number of abnormal findings (58.2%), with the middle digit having the lowest (45.5%). All NCS findings were statistically different between abnormal and normal thumb SWMTs and abnormal and normal total summed SWMTs. There were significant moderate correlations between thumb SWMT scores and all NCS outcomes. Although only approximately 50% of the CTS diagnosed through NCS are corroborated through SWMT; the significant associations between SWMT and NCS measures suggest that SWMT is a valid test for assessing sensations in patients with CTS.

Neural synchronization deficits linked to cortical hyper-excitability and auditory hypersensitivity in fragile X syndrome.

PubMed

Ethridge, Lauren E; White, Stormi P; Mosconi, Matthew W; Wang, Jun; Pedapati, Ernest V; Erickson, Craig A; Byerly, Matthew J; Sweeney, John A

2017-01-01

Studies in the fmr1 KO mouse demonstrate hyper-excitability and increased high-frequency neuronal activity in sensory cortex. These abnormalities may contribute to prominent and distressing sensory hypersensitivities in patients with fragile X syndrome (FXS). The current study investigated functional properties of auditory cortex using a sensory entrainment task in FXS. EEG recordings were obtained from 17 adolescents and adults with FXS and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Participants heard an auditory chirp stimulus generated using a 1000-Hz tone that was amplitude modulated by a sinusoid linearly increasing in frequency from 0-100 Hz over 2 s. Single trial time-frequency analyses revealed decreased gamma band phase-locking to the chirp stimulus in FXS, which was strongly coupled with broadband increases in gamma power. Abnormalities in gamma phase-locking and power were also associated with theta-gamma amplitude-amplitude coupling during the pre-stimulus period and with parent reports of heightened sensory sensitivities and social communication deficits. This represents the first demonstration of neural entrainment alterations in FXS patients and suggests that fast-spiking interneurons regulating synchronous high-frequency neural activity have reduced functionality. This reduced ability to synchronize high-frequency neural activity was related to the total power of background gamma band activity. These observations extend findings from fmr1 KO models of FXS, characterize a core pathophysiological aspect of FXS, and may provide a translational biomarker strategy for evaluating promising therapeutics.

Cerebellar Influence on Motor Cortex Plasticity: Behavioral Implications for Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Kishore, Asha; Meunier, Sabine; Popa, Traian

2014-01-01

Normal motor behavior involves the creation of appropriate activity patterns across motor networks, enabling firing synchrony, synaptic integration, and normal functioning of these networks. Strong topography-specific connections among the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and their projections to overlapping areas in the motor cortices suggest that these networks could influence each other’s plastic responses and functions. The defective striatal signaling in Parkinson’s disease (PD) could therefore lead to abnormal oscillatory activity and aberrant plasticity at multiple levels within the interlinked motor networks. Normal striatal dopaminergic signaling and cerebellar sensory processing functions influence the scaling and topographic specificity of M1 plasticity. Both these functions are abnormal in PD and appear to contribute to the abnormal M1 plasticity. Defective motor map plasticity and topographic specificity within M1 could lead to incorrect muscle synergies, which could manifest as abnormal or undesired movements, and as abnormal motor learning in PD. We propose that the loss of M1 plasticity in PD reflects a loss of co-ordination among the basal ganglia, cerebellar, and cortical inputs which translates to an abnormal plasticity of motor maps within M1 and eventually to some of the motor signs of PD. The initial benefits of dopamine replacement therapy on M1 plasticity and motor signs are lost during the progressive course of disease. Levodopa-induced dyskinesias in patients with advanced PD is linked to a loss of M1 sensorimotor plasticity and the attenuation of dyskinesias by cerebellar inhibitory stimulation is associated with restoration of M1 plasticity. Complimentary interventions should target reestablishing physiological communication between the striatal and cerebellar circuits, and within striato-cerebellar loop. This may facilitate correct motor synergies and reduce abnormal movements in PD. PMID:24834063

Animal models of serotonergic psychedelics.

PubMed

Hanks, James B; González-Maeso, Javier

2013-01-16

The serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor is the major target of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin. Serotonergic psychedelics induce profound effects on cognition, emotion, and sensory processing that often seem uniquely human. This raises questions about the validity of animal models of psychedelic drug action. Nonetheless, recent findings suggest behavioral abnormalities elicited by psychedelics in rodents that predict such effects in humans. Here we review the behavioral effects induced by psychedelic drugs in rodent models, discuss the translational potential of these findings, and define areas where further research is needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms and neuronal circuits underlying their neuropsychological effects.

Animal Models of Serotonergic Psychedelics

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

The serotonin 5-HT2A receptor is the major target of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin. Serotonergic psychedelics induce profound effects on cognition, emotion, and sensory processing that often seem uniquely human. This raises questions about the validity of animal models of psychedelic drug action. Nonetheless, recent findings suggest behavioral abnormalities elicited by psychedelics in rodents that predict such effects in humans. Here we review the behavioral effects induced by psychedelic drugs in rodent models, discuss the translational potential of these findings, and define areas where further research is needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms and neuronal circuits underlying their neuropsychological effects. PMID:23336043

Pathophysiology of Small-Fiber Sensory System in Parkinson's Disease

PubMed Central

Lin, Chin-Hsien; Chao, Chi-Chao; Wu, Shao-Wei; Hsieh, Paul-Chen; Feng, Fang-Ping; Lin, Yea-Huey; Chen, Ya-Mei; Wu, Ruey-Meei; Hsieh, Sung-Tsang

2016-01-01

Abstract Sensory symptoms are frequent nonmotor complaints in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, few investigations integrally explored the physiology and pathology of the thermonociceptive pathway in PD. We aim to investigate the involvement of the thermonociceptive pathway in PD. Twenty-eight PD patients (16 men, with a mean age and standard deviation of 65.6 ± 10.7 years) free of neuropathic symptoms and systemic disorders were recruited for the study and compared to 23 age- and gender-matched control subjects (12 men, with a mean age and standard deviation of 65.1 ± 9.9 years). We performed skin biopsy, contact heat-evoked potential (CHEP), and quantitative sensory tests (QST) to study the involvement of the thermonociceptive pathway in PD. The duration of PD was 7.1 ± 3.2 (range 2–17 years) years and the UPDRS part III score was 25.6 ± 9.7 (range 10–48) during the off period. Compared to control subjects, PD patients had reduced intra-epidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density (2.48 ± 1.65 vs 6.36 ± 3.19 fibers/mm, P < 0.001) and CHEP amplitude (18.02 ± 10.23 vs 33.28 ± 10.48 μV, P < 0.001). Twenty-three patients (82.1%) had abnormal IENF densities and 18 (64.3%) had abnormal CHEP. Nine patients (32.1%) had abnormal thermal thresholds in the feet. In total 27 patients (96.4%) had at least 1 abnormality in IENF, CHEP, or thermal thresholds of the foot, indicating dysfunctions in the small-fiber nerve system. In control subjects, CHEP amplitude linearly correlated with IENF density (P < 0.001). In contrast, this relationship disappeared in PD (P = 0.312) and CHEP amplitude was negatively correlated with motor severity of PD independent of age, gender, and anti-PD medication dose (P = 0.036), suggesting the influences of central components on thermonociceptive systems in addition to peripheral small-fiber nerves in PD. The present study suggested impairment of small-fiber sensory system at both peripheral and central levels is an intrinsic feature of PD, and skin biopsy, CHEP, and QST provided an integral approach for assessing such dysfunctions. PMID:26962835

Predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Gadea, Maria Luz; Chennu, Srivas; Bekinschtein, Tristan A; Rattazzi, Alexia; Beraudi, Ana; Tripicchio, Paula; Moyano, Beatriz; Soffita, Yamila; Steinberg, Laura; Adolfi, Federico; Sigman, Mariano; Marino, Julian; Manes, Facundo; Ibanez, Agustin

2015-11-01

Predictive coding has been proposed as a framework to understand neural processes in neuropsychiatric disorders. We used this approach to describe mechanisms responsible for attentional abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We monitored brain dynamics of 59 children (8-15 yr old) who had ASD or ADHD or who were control participants via high-density electroencephalography. We performed analysis at the scalp and source-space levels while participants listened to standard and deviant tone sequences. Through task instructions, we manipulated top-down expectation by presenting expected and unexpected deviant sequences. Children with ASD showed reduced superior frontal cortex (FC) responses to unexpected events but increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation to expected events. In contrast, children with ADHD exhibited reduced cortical responses in superior FC to expected events but strong PFC activation to unexpected events. Moreover, neural abnormalities were associated with specific control mechanisms, namely, inhibitory control in ASD and set-shifting in ADHD. Based on the predictive coding account, top-down expectation abnormalities could be attributed to a disproportionate reliance (precision) allocated to prior beliefs in ASD and to sensory input in ADHD. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Gadea, Maria Luz; Chennu, Srivas; Bekinschtein, Tristan A.; Rattazzi, Alexia; Beraudi, Ana; Tripicchio, Paula; Moyano, Beatriz; Soffita, Yamila; Steinberg, Laura; Adolfi, Federico; Sigman, Mariano; Marino, Julian; Manes, Facundo

2015-01-01

Predictive coding has been proposed as a framework to understand neural processes in neuropsychiatric disorders. We used this approach to describe mechanisms responsible for attentional abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We monitored brain dynamics of 59 children (8–15 yr old) who had ASD or ADHD or who were control participants via high-density electroencephalography. We performed analysis at the scalp and source-space levels while participants listened to standard and deviant tone sequences. Through task instructions, we manipulated top-down expectation by presenting expected and unexpected deviant sequences. Children with ASD showed reduced superior frontal cortex (FC) responses to unexpected events but increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation to expected events. In contrast, children with ADHD exhibited reduced cortical responses in superior FC to expected events but strong PFC activation to unexpected events. Moreover, neural abnormalities were associated with specific control mechanisms, namely, inhibitory control in ASD and set-shifting in ADHD. Based on the predictive coding account, top-down expectation abnormalities could be attributed to a disproportionate reliance (precision) allocated to prior beliefs in ASD and to sensory input in ADHD. PMID:26311184

An electrophysiological follow up of patients with n-hexane polyneuropathy.

PubMed Central

Chang, Y C

1991-01-01

Electroneurographic (ENeG) and evoked potential (EP) studies were regularly performed on 11 printing workers with n-hexane polyneuropathy after cessation of exposure. At the initial examination, the ENeG studies simulated a demyelinative process. Further slowing of nerve conduction velocity, or further decreasing of action potential amplitude, or both in the follow up ENeG study were found in about half the patients. The motor distal latency did not worsen. Nerve conduction returned to normal earlier in the sensory than in the motor nerves. After the patients had regained full motor capability, conduction velocities in motor nerves were still significantly slowed. These ENeG characteristics correlate with the pathological and pathophysiological changes in experimental hexa-carbon neuropathies. The initial findings from the EP studies indicated a conduction abnormality in the central nervous system (CNS). Delayed worsening occurred in the amplitude of visual EPs in three patients. On serial follow up, the interpeak latency and interpeak amplitude of visual EPs improved little. Residual abnormalities were also found in the interpeak latency of auditory EPs in the brainstem and in the absolute latency of scalp somatosensory EPs from the peroneal nerve. Astroglial proliferation in the CNS probably impedes recovery of the abnormalities in EP. PMID:1993154

The relationship between sensory-processing patterns and occupational engagement among older persons.

PubMed

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Rosenblum, Sara

2017-02-01

Meaningful occupational engagement is essential for successful aging. Sensory-processing abilities that are known to deteriorate with age may reduce occupational engagement. However, the relationship between sensory-processing abilities and occupational engagement among older persons in daily life is unknown. This study examined the relationship between sensory-processing patterns and occupational engagement among older persons. Participants were 180 people, ages 50 to 73 years, in good health, who lived in their homes. All participants completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and the Activity Card Sort. Better registration of sensory input and greater sensory seeking were related to greater occupational engagement. Sensory-processing abilities among older persons and their relation to occupational engagement in various life settings should receive attention in research and practice. Occupational therapists should encourage older people to seek sensory input and provide them with rich sensory environments for enhancing meaningful engagement in real life.

Reduced laser-evoked potential habituation detects abnormal central pain processing in painful radiculopathy patients.

PubMed

Hüllemann, P; von der Brelie, C; Manthey, G; Düsterhöft, J; Helmers, A K; Synowitz, M; Baron, R

2017-05-01

Repetitive painful laser stimuli lead to physiological laser-evoked potential (LEP) habituation, measurable by a decrement of the N2/P2 amplitude. The time course of LEP-habituation is reduced in the capsaicin model for peripheral and central sensitization and in patients with migraine and fibromyalgia. In the present investigation, we aimed to assess the time course of LEP-habituation in a neuropathic pain syndrome, i.e. painful radiculopathy. At the side of radiating pain, four blocks of 25 painful laser stimuli each were applied to the ventral thigh at the L3 dermatome in 27 patients with painful radiculopathy. Inclusion criteria were (1) at least one neurological finding of radiculopathy, (2) low back pain with radiation into the foot and (3) a positive one-sided compression of the L5 and/or S1 root in the MRI. The time course of LEP-habituation was compared to 20 healthy height and age matched controls. Signs of peripheral (heat hyperalgesia) and central sensitization (dynamic mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia) at the affected L5 or S1 dermatome were assessed with quantitative sensory testing. Painful radiculopathy patients showed decreased LEP-habituation compared to controls. Patients with signs of central sensitization showed a more prominent LEP-habituation decrease within the radiculopathy patient group. Laser-evoked potential habituation is reduced in painful radiculopathy patients, which indicates an abnormal central pain processing. Central sensitization seems to be a major contributor to abnormal LEP habituation. The LEP habituation paradigm might be useful as a clinical tool to assess central pain processing alterations in nociceptive and neuropathic pain conditions. Abnormal central pain processing in neuropathic pain conditions may be revealed with the laser-evoked potential habituation paradigm. In painful radiculopathy patients, LEP-habituation is reduced compared to healthy controls. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Habituation and sensitization in primary headaches

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The phenomena of habituation and sensitization are considered most useful for studying the neuronal substrates of information processing in the CNS. Both were studied in primary headaches, that are functional disorders of the brain characterized by an abnormal responsivity to any kind of incoming innocuous or painful stimuli and it’s cycling pattern over time (interictal, pre-ictal, ictal). The present review summarizes available data on stimulus responsivity in primary headaches obtained with clinical neurophysiology. In migraine, the majority of electrophysiological studies between attacks have shown that, for a number of different sensory modalities, the brain is characterised by a lack of habituation of evoked responses to repeated stimuli. This abnormal processing of the incoming information reaches its maximum a few days before the beginning of an attack, and normalizes during the attack, at a time when sensitization may also manifest itself. An abnormal rhythmic activity between thalamus and cortex, namely thalamocortical dysrhythmia, may be the pathophysiological mechanism subtending abnormal information processing in migraine. In tension-type headache (TTH), only few signs of deficient habituation were observed only in subgroups of patients. By contrast, using grand-average responses indirect evidence for sensitization has been found in chronic TTH with increased nociceptive specific reflexes and evoked potentials. Generalized increased sensitivity to pain (lower thresholds and increased pain rating) and a dysfunction in supraspinal descending pain control systems may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of central sensitization in chronic TTH. Cluster headache patients are chrarcterized during the bout and on the headache side by a pronounced lack of habituation of the brainstem blink reflex and a general sensitization of pain processing. A better insight into the nature of these ictal/interictal electrophysiological dysfunctions in primary headaches paves the way for novel therapeutic targets and may allow a better understanding of the mode of action of available therapies. PMID:23899115

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal predominance (HMSN-P).

PubMed

Campellone, Joseph V

2013-06-01

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal predominance (HMSN-P) is a rare disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. Patients present with slowly progressive proximal-predominant weakness, painful muscle cramps, fasciculations, large-fiber sensory loss, and areflexia. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies typically reveal abnormalities consistent with a sensorimotor neuronopathy. A patient with HMSN-P underwent EDX studies, revealing ongoing and chronic neurogenic denervation, motor unit instability, and neuromyotonic discharges, further defining the spectrum of EDX findings in HMSN-P. The clinical, pathological, and genetic features are also reviewed. The appearance of HMSN-P in the United States and elsewhere calls for clinicians in nonendemic regions to be familiar with this rare disorder, which has typically been geographically confined.

Hearing regulates Drosophila aggression.

PubMed

Versteven, Marijke; Vanden Broeck, Lies; Geurten, Bart; Zwarts, Liesbeth; Decraecker, Lisse; Beelen, Melissa; Göpfert, Martin C; Heinrich, Ralf; Callaerts, Patrick

2017-02-21

Aggression is a universal social behavior important for the acquisition of food, mates, territory, and social status. Aggression in Drosophila is context-dependent and can thus be expected to involve inputs from multiple sensory modalities. Here, we use mechanical disruption and genetic approaches in Drosophila melanogaster to identify hearing as an important sensory modality in the context of intermale aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that neuronal silencing and targeted knockdown of hearing genes in the fly's auditory organ elicit abnormal aggression. Further, we show that exposure to courtship or aggression song has opposite effects on aggression. Our data define the importance of hearing in the control of Drosophila intermale aggression and open perspectives to decipher how hearing and other sensory modalities are integrated at the neural circuit level.

Hearing regulates Drosophila aggression

PubMed Central

Versteven, Marijke; Vanden Broeck, Lies; Geurten, Bart; Zwarts, Liesbeth; Decraecker, Lisse; Beelen, Melissa; Göpfert, Martin C.; Heinrich, Ralf; Callaerts, Patrick

2017-01-01

Aggression is a universal social behavior important for the acquisition of food, mates, territory, and social status. Aggression in Drosophila is context-dependent and can thus be expected to involve inputs from multiple sensory modalities. Here, we use mechanical disruption and genetic approaches in Drosophila melanogaster to identify hearing as an important sensory modality in the context of intermale aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that neuronal silencing and targeted knockdown of hearing genes in the fly’s auditory organ elicit abnormal aggression. Further, we show that exposure to courtship or aggression song has opposite effects on aggression. Our data define the importance of hearing in the control of Drosophila intermale aggression and open perspectives to decipher how hearing and other sensory modalities are integrated at the neural circuit level. PMID:28115690

M.I.T./Canadian vestibular experiments on the Spacelab-1 mission. I - Sensory adaptation to weightlessness and readaptation to one-g: An overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, L. R.; Oman, C. M.; Lichtenberg, B. K.; Watt, D. G. D.; Money, K. E.

1986-01-01

Human sensory/motor adaptation to weightlessness and readaptation to earth's gravity are assessed. Preflight and postflight vestibular and visual responses for the crew on the Spacelab-1 mission are studied; the effect of the abnormal pattern of otolith afferent signals caused by weightlessness on the pitch and roll perception and postural adjustments of the subjects are examined. It is observed that body position and postural reactions change due to weightlessness in order to utilize the varied sensory inputs in a manner suited to microgravity conditions. The aspects of reinterpretation include: (1) tilt acceleration reinterpretation, (2) reduced postural response to z-axis linear acceleration, and (3) increased attention to visual cues.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY FOLLOWING NEONATAL EXPOSURE TO 3,3'-IMINODIPROPIONITRILE IN THE RAT

EPA Science Inventory

Adult exposure to the neurotoxicant 3,3'-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) induces a hyperkinetic syndrome consisting of spontaneous head movements, abnormal circling, backwards locomotion, and sensory disruption. e report here the behavioral effects of developmental exposure to IDPN i...

Genetics Home Reference: Norrie disease

MedlinePlus

... is an inherited eye disorder that leads to blindness in male infants at birth or soon after birth. It causes abnormal development of the retina , the layer of sensory cells that detect light and color, with masses of immature retinal cells accumulating at ...

SSME fault monitoring and diagnosis expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ali, Moonis; Norman, Arnold M.; Gupta, U. K.

1989-01-01

An expert system, called LEADER, has been designed and implemented for automatic learning, detection, identification, verification, and correction of anomalous propulsion system operations in real time. LEADER employs a set of sensors to monitor engine component performance and to detect, identify, and validate abnormalities with respect to varying engine dynamics and behavior. Two diagnostic approaches are adopted in the architecture of LEADER. In the first approach fault diagnosis is performed through learning and identifying engine behavior patterns. LEADER, utilizing this approach, generates few hypotheses about the possible abnormalities. These hypotheses are then validated based on the SSME design and functional knowledge. The second approach directs the processing of engine sensory data and performs reasoning based on the SSME design, functional knowledge, and the deep-level knowledge, i.e., the first principles (physics and mechanics) of SSME subsystems and components. This paper describes LEADER's architecture which integrates a design based reasoning approach with neural network-based fault pattern matching techniques. The fault diagnosis results obtained through the analyses of SSME ground test data are presented and discussed.

The prevalence of abnormal preoperative neurological examination in Scheuermann kyphosis: correlation with X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical outcome.

PubMed

Cho, Woojin; Lenke, Lawrence G; Bridwell, Keith H; Hu, Guangxun; Buchowski, Jacob M; Dorward, Ian G; Pahys, Joshua M; Cho, Samuel K; Kang, Matthew M; Zebala, Lukas P; Koester, Linda A

2014-10-01

Retrospective. The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of abnormal neurological findings detected by physical examination in Scheuermann kyphosis and to correlate it to radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and results of operative treatment. There have been sporadic reports about abnormal neurological findings in patients with Scheuermann kyphosis. Among 82 patients with Scheuermann kyphosis who underwent corrective surgery, 69 primary cases were selected. Patients' charts were reviewed retrospectively in terms of pre and postoperative neurological examinations. Sensory or motor change was defined as an abnormal neurological examination. Their duration, associated problems, and various parameters on preoperative radiographs and MRI examinations were also measured to search for any atypical findings associated with an abnormal neurological examination. There were 6 cases (9%) (group AbN), with an abnormal neurological examination ranging from severe myelopathy to a subtle change (e.g., sensory paresthesias on trunk). Five patients recovered to a normal neurological examination after corrective surgery. The remaining 1 patient with severe myelopathy also showed marked improvement and was ambulatory unassisted by 2-year follow-up. In patients with a normal neurological examination (group N, n = 63), only 1 patient had neurological sequelae because of anterior spinal artery syndrome after combined anterior-posterior correction. No preoperative radiographical parameters were significantly different between groups. Average age was 21.3 (AbN) and 18.6 (N) years (P = 0.55). Average preoperative T5-12 kyphosis was 69.0° (AbN) and 72.5° (N) (P = 0.61). Forty-two magnetic resonance images were obtained and all showed typical findings of Scheuermann kyphosis. Five patients in the AbN group (1 patient underwent computed tomography/myelography) and 37 patients in the N group underwent an MRI. The prevalence of abnormal neurological findings in Scheuermann kyphosis was 9%, emphasizing the importance of performing a detailed preoperative neurological examination. If congenital stenosis or a herniated thoracic disc is present, myelopathy can occur. No radiographical findings correlated with the abnormal preoperative neurological examinations. A normal MRI can exist in the face of an abnormal neurological examination, and conversely, a normal neurological examination can be seen with an abnormal MRI. Surgery was successful in alleviating abnormal neurological issues. 4.

Abnormal experimentally- and behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity in focal hand dystonia.

PubMed

Belvisi, Daniele; Suppa, Antonio; Marsili, Luca; Di Stasio, Flavio; Parvez, Ahmad Khandker; Agostino, Rocco; Fabbrini, Giovanni; Berardelli, Alfredo

2013-02-01

Idiopathic focal hand dystonia (FHD) arises from abnormal plasticity in the primary motor cortex (M1) possibly reflecting abnormal sensori-motor integration processes. In this transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study in FHD, we evaluated changes in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) after intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and paired associative stimulation (PAS), techniques that elicit different forms of experimentally-induced long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity in M1. We also examined behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity as reflected by early motor learning of a simple motor task. We studied 14 patients with FHD and 14 healthy subjects. MEPs were recorded before and after iTBS and PAS at the 25 ms interstimulus interval (PAS(25)) in separate sessions. Subjects did a simple motor task entailing repetitive index finger abductions. To measure early motor learning we tested practice-related improvement in peak velocity and peak acceleration. In FHD patients iTBS failed to elicit the expected MEP changes and PAS(25) induced abnormally increased MEPs in target and non-target muscles. In the experiment testing early motor learning, patients lacked the expected practice-related changes in kinematic variables. In FHD, the degree of early motor learning correlated with patients' clinical features. We conclude that experimentally-induced (iTBS and PAS) and behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity are both altered in FHD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Exposure of Rats to Antidepressants Affects Behavioral Reactions to Novelty and Social Interactions in a Manner Analogous to Autistic Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Porcel, Federico; Green, Donald; Khatri, Nidhi; Harris, Sharonda Swilley; May, Warren L.; Lin, Rick C. S.; Paul, Ian A.

2011-01-01

We have demonstrated that neonatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors has lasting effects on behavior and serotonergic neurons in Long Evans rats. Hyperserotoninemia and altered sensory processing are reported in autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). We hypothesized that early life exposure to SSRIs alters sensory processing, disrupts responses to novelty and impairs social interactions in a manner similar to that observed in ASD. Male and female Long-Evans rat pups were administered citalopram, buproprion, fluoxetine, or saline from postnatal day (P) 8 to 21. Rats were tested for response to a novel tone before weaning (P25). Later, rats were tested 2× for response to a novel object (P39), and to a novel conspecific (P78, P101). In addition, rats were assessed for juvenile play behaviors (P32–P34) and later, we assessed sexual response to an estrus female in male rats (P153–184). Antidepressant exposure increased freezing after tone, diminished novel object exploration and reduced conspecific interaction up to 3× compared to saline exposed rats. Juvenile play was profoundly reduced in antidepressant-exposed males when compared to saline exposed groups. Exposure to the SSRIs, but not bupropion disrupted male sexual behaviors. Moreover, specific male responses to female proceptive behaviors were disrupted in SSRI, but not bupropion exposed rats. We conclude that neonatal exposure to antidepressants in rats results in sensory and social abnormalities that parallel many of those reported in ASD. PMID:21905242

The Emergence of Network Inefficiencies in Infants With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Lewis, John D; Evans, Alan C; Pruett, John R; Botteron, Kelly N; McKinstry, Robert C; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Estes, Annette M; Collins, D Louis; Kostopoulos, Penelope; Gerig, Guido; Dager, Stephen R; Paterson, Sarah; Schultz, Robert T; Styner, Martin A; Hazlett, Heather C; Piven, Joseph

2017-08-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder defined by behavioral features that emerge during the first years of life. Research indicates that abnormalities in brain connectivity are associated with these behavioral features. However, the inclusion of individuals past the age of onset of the defining behaviors complicates interpretation of the observed abnormalities: they may be cascade effects of earlier neuropathology and behavioral abnormalities. Our recent study of network efficiency in a cohort of 24-month-olds at high and low familial risk for ASD reduced this confound; we reported reduced network efficiencies in toddlers classified with ASD. The current study maps the emergence of these inefficiencies in the first year of life. This study uses data from 260 infants at 6 and 12 months of age, including 116 infants with longitudinal data. As in our earlier study, we use diffusion data to obtain measures of the length and strength of connections between brain regions to compute network efficiency. We assess group differences in efficiency within linear mixed-effects models determined by the Akaike information criterion. Inefficiencies in high-risk infants later classified with ASD were detected from 6 months onward in regions involved in low-level sensory processing. In addition, within the high-risk infants, these inefficiencies predicted 24-month symptom severity. These results suggest that infants with ASD, even before 6 months of age, have deficits in connectivity related to low-level processing, which contribute to a developmental cascade affecting brain organization and eventually higher-level cognitive processes and social behavior. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration: Incidence, associations and co-morbidities.

PubMed

Allen, Susan; Casey, Jackie

2017-09-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder or sensory processing and integration difficulties face challenges to participation in daily living. To date there has been no exploration of the co-occurrence of developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration difficulties. Records of children meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - V criteria for developmental coordination disorder ( n  = 93) age 5 to 12 years were examined. Data on motor skills (Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2) and sensory processing and integration (Sensory Processing Measure) were interrogated. Of the total sample, 88% exhibited some or definite differences in sensory processing and integration. No apparent relationship was observed between motor coordination and sensory processing and integration. The full sample showed high rates of some difficulties in social participation, hearing, body awareness, balance and motion, and planning and ideation. Further, children with co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder showed high rates of difficulties with touch and vision. Most, but not all, children with developmental coordination disorder presented with some difficulties in sensory processing and integration that impacted on their participation in everyday activities. Sensory processing and integration difficulties differed significantly between those with and without co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder.

Relationships between atypical sensory processing patterns, maladaptive behaviour and maternal stress in Spanish children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Nieto, C; López, B; Gandía, H

2017-12-01

This study investigated sensory processing in a sample of Spanish children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, the study aimed to explore (1) the prevalence and distribution of atypical sensory processing patterns, (2) the relationship between adaptive and maladaptive behaviour with atypical sensory processing and (3) the possible relationship between sensory subtype and maternal stress. The short sensory profile 2 (Dunn 2014) and the vineland adaptive behavior scale (Sparrow et al. 1984) were administered to examine the sensory processing difficulties and maladaptive behaviours of 45 children with ASD aged 3 to 14; their mothers also completed the parenting stress index-short form (Abidin 1995). Atypical sensory features were found in 86.7% of the children; avoider and sensor being the two most common patterns. No significant relationship was found between atypical sensory processing and adaptive behaviour. However, the analysis showed a strong relationship between sensory processing and maladaptive behaviour. Both maladaptive behaviour and sensory processing difficulties correlated significantly with maternal stress although maternal stress was predicted only by the sensory variable, and in particular by the avoider pattern. The findings suggest that sensory features in ASD may be driving the high prevalence of parental stress in carers. They also suggest that the effect on parental stress that has been attributed traditionally to maladaptive behaviours may be driven by sensory difficulties. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the development of interventions and the need to explore contextual and cultural variables as possible sources of variability. © 2017 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensory Processing Subtypes in Autism: Association with Adaptive Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Alison E.; Young, Robyn L.; Baker, Amy E. Z.; Angley, Manya T.

2010-01-01

Children with autism are frequently observed to experience difficulties in sensory processing. This study examined specific patterns of sensory processing in 54 children with autistic disorder and their association with adaptive behavior. Model-based cluster analysis revealed three distinct sensory processing subtypes in autism. These subtypes…

Flexibility and Stability in Sensory Processing Revealed Using Visual-to-Auditory Sensory Substitution

PubMed Central

Hertz, Uri; Amedi, Amir

2015-01-01

The classical view of sensory processing involves independent processing in sensory cortices and multisensory integration in associative areas. This hierarchical structure has been challenged by evidence of multisensory responses in sensory areas, and dynamic weighting of sensory inputs in associative areas, thus far reported independently. Here, we used a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution algorithm (SSA) to manipulate the information conveyed by sensory inputs while keeping the stimuli intact. During scan sessions before and after SSA learning, subjects were presented with visual images and auditory soundscapes. The findings reveal 2 dynamic processes. First, crossmodal attenuation of sensory cortices changed direction after SSA learning from visual attenuations of the auditory cortex to auditory attenuations of the visual cortex. Secondly, associative areas changed their sensory response profile from strongest response for visual to that for auditory. The interaction between these phenomena may play an important role in multisensory processing. Consistent features were also found in the sensory dominance in sensory areas and audiovisual convergence in associative area Middle Temporal Gyrus. These 2 factors allow for both stability and a fast, dynamic tuning of the system when required. PMID:24518756

Flexibility and Stability in Sensory Processing Revealed Using Visual-to-Auditory Sensory Substitution.

PubMed

Hertz, Uri; Amedi, Amir

2015-08-01

The classical view of sensory processing involves independent processing in sensory cortices and multisensory integration in associative areas. This hierarchical structure has been challenged by evidence of multisensory responses in sensory areas, and dynamic weighting of sensory inputs in associative areas, thus far reported independently. Here, we used a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution algorithm (SSA) to manipulate the information conveyed by sensory inputs while keeping the stimuli intact. During scan sessions before and after SSA learning, subjects were presented with visual images and auditory soundscapes. The findings reveal 2 dynamic processes. First, crossmodal attenuation of sensory cortices changed direction after SSA learning from visual attenuations of the auditory cortex to auditory attenuations of the visual cortex. Secondly, associative areas changed their sensory response profile from strongest response for visual to that for auditory. The interaction between these phenomena may play an important role in multisensory processing. Consistent features were also found in the sensory dominance in sensory areas and audiovisual convergence in associative area Middle Temporal Gyrus. These 2 factors allow for both stability and a fast, dynamic tuning of the system when required. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

Investigation of the Relationship Between Sensory Processing and Motor Development in Preterm Infants.

PubMed

Celik, Halil Ibrahim; Elbasan, Bulent; Gucuyener, Kivilcim; Kayihan, Hulya; Huri, Meral

The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants. We included 30 preterm and 30 term infants with corrected and chronological ages between 10 and 12 mo. We used the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants to evaluate sensory processing and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale to evaluate motor development. The Spearman correlation test indicated a strong positive relationship between sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants (r = .63, p < .001). Given the relationship between sensory processing and motor development in the preterm group, the evaluation of sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants was considered necessary for the effective implementation of physiotherapy assessment and interventions. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Sensory Processing in Rhesus Monkeys: Developmental Continuity, Prenatal Treatment, and Genetic Influences

PubMed Central

Schneider, Mary L.; Moore, Colleen F.; Adkins, Miriam; Barr, Christina S.; Larson, Julie A.; Resch, Leslie M.; Roberts, Andrew

2017-01-01

Neonatal sensory processing (tactile and vestibular function) was tested in 78 rhesus macaques from two experiments. At ages 4–5 years, striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding was examined using positron emission tomography. At ages 5–7 years, adult sensory processing was assessed. Findings were: (a) prenatal stress exposure yielded less optimal neonatal sensory processing; (b) animals carrying the short rh5-HTTLPR allele had less optimal neonatal sensory scores than monkeys homozygous for the long allele; (c) neonatal sensory processing was significantly related to striatal D2 receptor binding for carriers of the short allele, but not for animals homozygous for the long allele; and (d) there was moderate developmental continuity in sensory processing from the neonatal period to adulthood. PMID:27338151

Chronic pain and pain processing in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Blanchet, Pierre J; Brefel-Courbon, Christine

2017-10-12

Pain is experienced by the vast majority of patients living with Parkinson's disease. It is most often of nociceptive origin, but may also be ascribed to neuropathic (radicular or central) or miscellaneous sources. The recently validated King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale is based on 7 domains including musculoskeletal pain, chronic body pain (central or visceral), fluctuation-related pain, nocturnal pain, oro-facial pain, pain with discolouration/oedema/swelling, and radicular pain. The basal ganglia integrate incoming nociceptive information and contribute to coordinated motor responses in pain avoidance and nocifensive behaviors. In Parkinson's disease, nigral and extra-nigral pathology, involving cortical areas, brainstem nuclei, and spinal cord, may contribute to abnormal central nociceptive processing in patients experiencing pain or not. The dopamine deficit lowers multimodal pain thresholds that are amenable to correction following levodopa dosing. Functional brain imaging with positron emission tomography following administration of H 2 15 O revealed abnormalities in the sensory discriminative processing of pain (insula/SII), as well as in the affective motivational processing of pain (anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex). Pain management is dependent on efforts invested in diagnostic accuracy to distinguish nociceptive from neuropathic pain. Treatment requires an integrated approach including strategies to lessen levodopa-related response fluctuations, in addition to other pharmacological and non-pharmacological options such as deep brain stimulation and rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Abnormal late visual responses and alpha oscillations in neurofibromatosis type 1: a link to visual and attention deficits

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) affects several areas of cognitive function including visual processing and attention. We investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the visual deficits of children and adolescents with NF1 by studying visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and brain oscillations during visual stimulation and rest periods. Methods Electroencephalogram/event-related potential (EEG/ERP) responses were measured during visual processing (NF1 n = 17; controls n = 19) and idle periods with eyes closed and eyes open (NF1 n = 12; controls n = 14). Visual stimulation was chosen to bias activation of the three detection mechanisms: achromatic, red-green and blue-yellow. Results We found significant differences between the groups for late chromatic VEPs and a specific enhancement in the amplitude of the parieto-occipital alpha amplitude both during visual stimulation and idle periods. Alpha modulation and the negative influence of alpha oscillations in visual performance were found in both groups. Conclusions Our findings suggest abnormal later stages of visual processing and enhanced amplitude of alpha oscillations supporting the existence of deficits in basic sensory processing in NF1. Given the link between alpha oscillations, visual perception and attention, these results indicate a neural mechanism that might underlie the visual sensitivity deficits and increased lapses of attention observed in individuals with NF1. PMID:24559228

Peripheral neuropathy in genetically characterized patients with mitochondrial disorders: A study from south India.

PubMed

Bindu, Parayil Sankaran; Govindaraju, Chikanna; Sonam, Kothari; Nagappa, Madhu; Chiplunkar, Shwetha; Kumar, Rakesh; Gayathri, Narayanappa; Bharath, M M Srinivas; Arvinda, Hanumanthapura R; Sinha, Sanjib; Khan, Nahid Akthar; Govindaraj, Periyasamy; Nunia, Vandana; Paramasivam, Arumugam; Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Taly, Arun B

2016-03-01

There are relatively few studies, which focus on peripheral neuropathy in large cohorts of genetically characterized patients with mitochondrial disorders. This study sought to analyze the pattern of peripheral neuropathy in a cohort of patients with mitochondrial disorders. The study subjects were derived from a cohort of 52 patients with a genetic diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders seen over a period of 8 years (2006-2013). All patients underwent nerve conduction studies and those patients with abnormalities suggestive of peripheral neuropathy were included in the study. Their phenotypic features, genotype, pattern of peripheral neuropathy and nerve conduction abnormalities were analyzed retrospectively. The study cohort included 18 patients (age range: 18 months-50 years, M:F- 1.2:1).The genotype included mitochondrial DNA point mutations (n=11), SURF1 mutations (n=4) and POLG1(n=3). Axonal neuropathy was noted in 12 patients (sensori-motor:n=4; sensory:n=4; motor:n=4) and demyelinating neuropathy in 6. Phenotype-genotype correlations revealed predominant axonal neuropathy in mtDNA point mutations and demyelinating neuropathy in SURF1. Patients with POLG related disorders had both sensory ataxic neuropathy and axonal neuropathy. A careful analysis of the family history, clinical presentation, biochemical, histochemical and structural analysis may help to bring out the mitochondrial etiology in patients with peripheral neuropathy and may facilitate targeted gene testing. Presence of demyelinating neuropathy in Leigh's syndrome may suggest underlying SURF1 mutations. Sensory ataxic neuropathy with other mitochondrial signatures should raise the possibility of POLG related disorder. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Chronic alcoholism: insights from neurophysiology.

PubMed

Campanella, S; Petit, G; Maurage, P; Kornreich, C; Verbanck, P; Noël, X

2009-01-01

Increasing knowledge of the anatomical structures and cellular processes underlying psychiatric disorders may help bridge the gap between clinical signs and basic physiological processes. Accordingly, considerable insight has been gained in recent years into a common psychiatric condition, i.e., chronic alcoholism. We reviewed various physiological parameters that are altered in chronic alcoholic patients compared to healthy individuals--continuous electroencephalogram, oculomotor measures, cognitive event-related potentials and event-related oscillations--to identify links between these physiological parameters, altered cognitive processes and specific clinical symptoms. Alcoholic patients display: (1) high beta and theta power in the resting electroencephalogram, suggesting hyperarousal of their central nervous system; (2) abnormalities in smooth pursuit eye movements, in saccadic inhibition during antisaccade tasks, and in prepulse inhibition, suggesting disturbed attention modulation and abnormal patterns of prefrontal activation that may stem from the same prefrontal "inhibitory" cortical dysfunction; (3) decreased amplitude for cognitive event-related potentials situated along the continuum of information-processing, suggesting that alcoholism is associated with neurophysiological deficits at the level of the sensory cortex and not only disturbances involving associative cortices and limbic structures; and (4) decreased theta, gamma and delta oscillations, suggesting cognitive disinhibition at a functional level. The heterogeneity of alcoholic disorders in terms of symptomatology, course and outcome is the result of various pathophysiological processes that physiological parameters may help to define. These alterations may be related to precise cognitive processes that could be easily monitored neurophysiologically in order to create more homogeneous subgroups of alcoholic individuals.

Evaluating Sensory Processing in Fragile X Syndrome: Psychometric Analysis of the Brain Body Center Sensory Scales (BBCSS).

PubMed

Kolacz, Jacek; Raspa, Melissa; Heilman, Keri J; Porges, Stephen W

2018-06-01

Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), especially those co-diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), face many sensory processing challenges. However, sensory processing measures informed by neurophysiology are lacking. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a parent/caregiver report, the Brain-Body Center Sensory Scales (BBCSS), based on Polyvagal Theory. Parents/guardians reported on 333 individuals with FXS, 41% with ASD features. Factor structure using a split-sample exploratory-confirmatory design conformed to neurophysiological predictions. Internal consistency, test-retest, and inter-rater reliability were good to excellent. BBCSS subscales converged with the Sensory Profile and Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. However, data also suggest that BBCSS subscales reflect unique features related to sensory processing. Individuals with FXS and ASD features displayed more sensory challenges on most subscales.

Are high lags of accommodation in myopic children due to motor deficits?

PubMed

Labhishetty, Vivek; Bobier, William R

2017-01-01

Children with a progressing myopia exhibit an abnormal pattern of high accommodative lags coupled with high accommodative convergence (AC/A) and high accommodative adaptation. This is not predicted by the current models of accommodation and vergence. Reduced accommodative plant gain and reduced sensitivity to blur have been suggested as potential causes for this abnormal behavior. These etiologies were tested by altering parameters (sensory, controller and plant gains) in the Simulink model of accommodation. Predictions were then compared to the static and dynamic blur accommodation (BA) measures taken using a Badal optical system on 12 children (6 emmetropes and 6 myopes, 8-13years) and 6 adults (20-35years). Other critical parameters such as CA/C, AC/A, and accommodative adaptation were also measured. Usable BA responses were classified as either typical or atypical. Typical accommodation data confirmed the abnormal pattern of myopia along with an unchanged CA/C. Main sequence relationship remained invariant between myopic and nonmyopic children. An overall reduction was noted in the response dynamics such as peak velocity and acceleration with age. Neither a reduced plant gain nor reduced blur sensitivity could predict the abnormal accommodative behavior. A model adjustment reflecting a reduced accommodative sensory gain (ASG) coupled with an increased AC cross-link gain and reduced vergence adaptive gain does predict the empirical findings. Empirical measures also showed a greater frequency of errors in accommodative response generation (atypical responses) in both myopic and control children compared to adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helping Children with Sensory Processing Disorders: The Role of Occupational Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweet, Margarita

2010-01-01

Normally functioning sensory systems develop through sensory experiences. Children are stimulated through their senses in many different ways. Even though a person's sensory system is intact, he or she may have a sensory processing disorder (SPD), also known as sensory integration dysfunction. This means the person's brain does not correctly…

Omega-3 and -6 fatty acid supplementation and sensory processing in toddlers with ASD symptomology born preterm: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Boone, Kelly M; Gracious, Barbara; Klebanoff, Mark A; Rogers, Lynette K; Rausch, Joseph; Coury, Daniel L; Keim, Sarah A

2017-12-01

Despite advances in the health and long-term survival of infants born preterm, they continue to face developmental challenges including higher risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and atypical sensory processing patterns. This secondary analysis aimed to describe sensory profiles and explore effects of combined dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) supplementation on parent-reported sensory processing in toddlers born preterm who were exhibiting ASD symptoms. 90-day randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial. 31 children aged 18-38months who were born at ≤29weeks' gestation. Mixed effects regression analyses followed intent to treat and explored effects on parent-reported sensory processing measured by the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP). Baseline ITSP scores reflected atypical sensory processing, with the majority of atypical scores falling below the mean. Sensory processing sections: auditory (above=0%, below=65%), vestibular (above=13%, below=48%), tactile (above=3%, below=35%), oral sensory (above=10%; below=26%), visual (above=10%, below=16%); sensory processing quadrants: low registration (above=3%; below=71%), sensation avoiding (above=3%; below=39%), sensory sensitivity (above=3%; below=35%), and sensation seeking (above=10%; below=19%). Twenty-eight of 31 children randomized had complete outcome data. Although not statistically significant (p=0.13), the magnitude of the effect for reduction in behaviors associated with sensory sensitivity was medium to large (effect size=0.57). No other scales reflected a similar magnitude of effect size (range: 0.10 to 0.32). The findings provide support for larger randomized trials of omega fatty acid supplementation for children at risk of sensory processing difficulties, especially those born preterm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diabetes-induced mechanophysiological changes in the small intestine and colon

PubMed Central

Zhao, Mirabella; Liao, Donghua; Zhao, Jingbo

2017-01-01

The disorders of gastrointestinal (GI) tract including intestine and colon are common in the patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). DM induced intestinal and colonic structural and biomechanical remodeling in animals and humans. The remodeling is closely related to motor-sensory abnormalities of the intestine and colon which are associated with the symptoms frequently encountered in patients with DM such as diarrhea and constipation. In this review, firstly we review DM-induced histomorphological and biomechanical remodeling of intestine and colon. Secondly we review motor-sensory dysfunction and how they relate to intestinal and colonic abnormalities. Finally the clinical consequences of DM-induced changes in the intestine and colon including diarrhea, constipation, gut microbiota change and colon cancer are discussed. The final goal is to increase the understanding of DM-induced changes in the gut and the subsequent clinical consequences in order to provide the clinicians with a better understanding of the GI disorders in diabetic patients and facilitates treatments tailored to these patients. PMID:28694926

Adult polyglucosan body disease presenting as a unilateral progressive plexopathy.

PubMed

Naddaf, Elie; Kassardjian, Charles D; Kurt, Yasemin Gulcan; Akman, Hasan Orhan; Windebank, Anthony J

2016-06-01

Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) usually presents with progressive spastic paraparesis, neurogenic bladder, and distal lower limb sensory abnormalities. It is caused by mutations in the glycogen branching enzyme gene (GBE1). We describe a woman with an unusual phenotype manifesting as progressive left brachial more than lumbosacral plexopathies, with central sensory and corticospinal tract involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cervical spine showed abnormal T2 signal within the ventral pons and medulla bilaterally, involving the pyramidal tracts and the medial leminisci. There was also medullary and cervical spine atrophy. On nerve biopsy, large polyglucosan bodies were noted in the endoneurium. The patient was found to be compound heterozygous for 2 novel mutations in GBE1. Peripheral blood leukocyte GBE activity was markedly reduced to 7% of normal, confirming the diagnosis of APBD. In this report we describe a new phenotype of APBD associated with 2 novel mutations. Muscle Nerve 53: 976-981, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conditional Deletion of N-Myc Disrupts Neurosensory and Non-sensory Development of the Ear

PubMed Central

Kopecky, Benjamin; Santi, Peter; Johnson, Shane; Schmitz, Heather; Fritzsch, Bernd

2011-01-01

Ear development requires interactions of transcription factors for proliferation and differentiation. The proto-oncogene N-Myc is a member of the Myc family that regulate proliferation. To investigate the function of N-Myc, we conditionally knocked out N-Myc in the ear using Tg(Pax2-Cre) and Foxg 1KiCre. N-Myc CKOs had reduced growth of the ear, abnormal morphology including fused sensory epithelia, disrupted histology, and disorganized neuronal innervation. Using Thin-Sheet Laser Imaging Microscopy (TSLIM), 3D reconstruction and quantification of the cochlea revealed a greater than fifty percent size reduction. Immunochemistry and in situ hybridization showed a gravistatic organ-cochlear fusion and a “circularized” apex with no clear inner and outer hair cells. Furthermore, the abnormally developed cochlea had cross innervation from the vestibular ganglion near the basal tip. These findings are put in the context of the possible functional relationship of N-Myc with a number of other cell proliferative and fate determining genes during ear development. PMID:21448975

Improving post-stroke cognitive and behavioral abnormalities by using virtual reality: A case report on a novel use of nirvana.

PubMed

De Luca, Rosaria; Torrisi, Michele; Piccolo, Adriana; Bonfiglio, Giovanni; Tomasello, Provvidenza; Naro, Antonino; Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore

2017-10-11

Cognitive impairment, as well as mood and anxiety disorders, occur frequently in patients following stroke. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a combined rehabilitative treatment using conventional relaxation and respiratory techniques, in a specific rehabilitative virtual environment (by using Bts-Nirvana). A 58-year-old woman, affected by hemorrhagic stroke, underwent two different rehabilitation trainings, including either standard relaxation techniques alone in a common clinical setting or the same psychological approach in a semi-immersive virtual environment with an augmented sensorial (audio-video) and motor feedback (sensory motor-interaction). We evaluated the patient's cognitive and psychological profile before and after the two different trainings, by using a specific psychometric battery, aimed to assess cognitive status, attention processes and to estimate the presence of mood alterations, anxiety and coping strategies. Only at the end of the combined approach, we observed a significant improvement in attention and memory functions, with a nearly complete relief of anxiety symptoms and an improvement in coping strategies. Relaxation and respiratory techniques in a semi-immersive virtual reality environment, using Bts-Nirvana, may be a promising tool in improving attention process, coping strategies, and anxiety in individuals with neurological disorders, including stroke.

Vasopressin Proves Es-sense-tial: Vasopressin and the Modulation of Sensory Processing in Mammals

PubMed Central

Bester-Meredith, Janet K.; Fancher, Alexandria P.; Mammarella, Grace E.

2015-01-01

As mammals develop, they encounter increasing social complexity in the surrounding world. In order to survive, mammals must show appropriate behaviors toward their mates, offspring, and same-sex conspecifics. Although the behavioral effects of the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) have been studied in a variety of social contexts, the effects of this neuropeptide on multimodal sensory processing have received less attention. AVP is widely distributed through sensory regions of the brain and has been demonstrated to modulate olfactory, auditory, gustatory, and visual processing. Here, we review the evidence linking AVP to the processing of social stimuli in sensory regions of the brain and explore how sensory processing can shape behavioral responses to these stimuli. In addition, we address the interplay between hormonal and neural AVP in regulating sensory processing of social cues. Because AVP pathways show plasticity during development, early life experiences may shape life-long processing of sensory information. Furthermore, disorders of social behavior such as autism and schizophrenia that have been linked with AVP also have been linked with dysfunctions in sensory processing. Together, these studies suggest that AVP’s diversity of effects on social behavior across a variety of mammalian species may result from the effects of this neuropeptide on sensory processing. PMID:25705203

Assessment of Sensory Processing Characteristics in Children between 3 and 11 Years Old: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Jorquera-Cabrera, Sara; Romero-Ayuso, Dulce; Rodriguez-Gil, Gemma; Triviño-Juárez, José-Matías

2017-01-01

The assessment of sensory perception, discrimination, integration, modulation, praxis, and other motor skills, such as posture, balance, and bilateral motor coordination, is necessary to identify the sensory and motor factors influencing the development of personal autonomy. The aim of this work is to study the assessment tools currently available for identifying different patterns of sensory processing. There are 15 tests available that have psychometric properties, primarily for the US population. Nine of them apply to children in preschool and up to grade 12. The assessment of sensory processing is a process that includes the use of standardized tests, administration of caregiver questionnaires, and clinical observations. The review of different studies using PRISMA criteria or Osteba Critical Appraisal Cards reveals that the most commonly used tools are the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test, the Sensory Processing Measure, and the Sensory Profile.

Assessment of Sensory Processing Characteristics in Children between 3 and 11 Years Old: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Jorquera-Cabrera, Sara; Romero-Ayuso, Dulce; Rodriguez-Gil, Gemma; Triviño-Juárez, José-Matías

2017-01-01

The assessment of sensory perception, discrimination, integration, modulation, praxis, and other motor skills, such as posture, balance, and bilateral motor coordination, is necessary to identify the sensory and motor factors influencing the development of personal autonomy. The aim of this work is to study the assessment tools currently available for identifying different patterns of sensory processing. There are 15 tests available that have psychometric properties, primarily for the US population. Nine of them apply to children in preschool and up to grade 12. The assessment of sensory processing is a process that includes the use of standardized tests, administration of caregiver questionnaires, and clinical observations. The review of different studies using PRISMA criteria or Osteba Critical Appraisal Cards reveals that the most commonly used tools are the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test, the Sensory Processing Measure, and the Sensory Profile. PMID:28424762

The State of the Science on Sensory Factors and Their Impact on Daily Life for Children: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Dunn, Winnie; Little, Lauren; Dean, Evan; Robertson, Sara; Evans, Benjamin

2016-04-01

The objective of this study was to identify and synthesize research about how sensory factors affect daily life of children. We designed a conceptual model to guide a scoping review of research published from 2005 to October 2014 (10 years). We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO and included studies about sensory perception/processing; children, adolescents/young adults; and participation. We excluded studies about animals, adults, and review articles. Our process resulted in 261 articles meeting criteria. Research shows that children with conditions process sensory input differently than peers. Neuroscience evidence supports the relationship between sensory-related behaviors and brain activity. Studies suggest that sensory processing is linked to social participation, cognition, temperament, and participation. Intervention research illustrates the importance of contextually relevant practices. Future work can examine the developmental course of sensory processing aspects of behavior across the general population and focus on interventions that support children's sensory processing as they participate in their daily lives. © The Author(s) 2016.

Fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain - differences and similarities. A comparison of 3057 patients with diabetic painful neuropathy and fibromyalgia

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Patients with diabetic neuropathy (DPN) and fibromyalgia differ substantially in pathogenetic factors and the spatial distribution of the perceived pain. We questioned whether, despite these obvious differences, similar abnormal sensory complaints and pain qualities exist in both entities. We hypothesized that similar sensory symptoms might be associated with similar mechanisms of pain generation. The aims were (1) to compare epidemiological features and co-morbidities and (2) to identify similarities and differences of sensory symptoms in both entities. Methods The present multi-center study compares epidemiological data and sensory symptoms of a large cohort of 1434 fibromyalgia patients and 1623 patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. Data acquisition included standard demographic questions and self-report questionnaires (MOS sleep scale, PHQ-9, PainDETECT). To identify subgroups of patients with characteristic combinations of symptoms (sensory profiles) a cluster analysis was performed using all patients in both cohorts. Results Significant differences in co-morbidities (depression, sleep disturbance) were found between both disorders. Patients of both aetiologies chose very similar descriptors to characterize their sensory perceptions. Burning pain, prickling and touch-evoked allodynia were present in the same frequency. Five subgroups with distinct symptom profiles could be detected. Two of the subgroups were characteristic for fibromyalgia whereas one profile occurred predominantly in DPN patients. Two profiles were found frequently in patients of both entities (20-35%). Conclusions DPN and fibromyalgia patients experience very similar sensory phenomena. The combination of sensory symptoms - the sensory profile - is in most cases distinct and almost unique for each one of the two entities indicating aetiology-specific mechanisms of symptom generation. Beside the unique aetiology-specific sensory profiles an overlap of sensory profiles can be found in 20-35% of patients of both aetiologies. PMID:21612589

Pathophysiology of motor dysfunction in a childhood motor neuron disease caused by mutations in the riboflavin transporter.

PubMed

Menezes, Manoj P; Farrar, Michelle A; Webster, Richard; Antony, Jayne; O'Brien, Katherine; Ouvrier, Robert; Kiernan, Matthew C; Burns, Joshua; Vucic, Steve

2016-01-01

Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere (BVVL) syndrome is a progressive motor and sensory neuronopathy secondary to mutations in SLC52A2 encoding the riboflavin transporter type 2 (RFVT2). The phenotype is characterized by early childhood onset hearing loss and sensory ataxia followed by progressive upper limb weakness, optic atrophy, bulbar weakness and respiratory failure. To gain further insight into disease pathophysiology and response to riboflavin supplementation, the present study investigated whether axonal ion channel or membrane abnormalities were a feature of BVVL. Axonal excitability studies and clinical assessments were prospectively undertaken on six patients with BVVL secondary to riboflavin transporter deficiency type 2 (age range 10-21 years) at baseline and after 12 months of riboflavin (1000 mg daily) therapy. At baseline, depolarizing and hyperpolarizing threshold electrotonus was 'fanned out' and superexcitability was increased, while the resting current-threshold gradient and refractoriness were significantly reduced in BVVL patients when compared to controls. Mathematical modeling suggested that functional alterations of myelin underlay these findings with an increase in myelin permeability. Riboflavin therapy resulted in partial normalization of the axonal excitability findings, paralleled by maintenance of muscle strength. The present study established that abnormalities in myelin permeability at the paranode was a feature of BVVL and were partially normalized with riboflavin therapy. This study reveals a novel pathophysiological process for motor nerve dysfunction in BVVL. It also indicates that nerve excitability studies may be further developed in larger cohorts as a potential biomarker to identify treatment response for BVVL patients. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Sensory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Integration of the Neural and Symptom Literatures

PubMed Central

Schauder, Kimberly B.; Bennetto, Loisa

2016-01-01

Sensory processing differences have long been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and they have recently been added to the diagnostic criteria for the disorder. The focus on sensory processing in ASD research has increased substantially in the last decade. This research has been approached from two different perspectives: the first focuses on characterizing the symptoms that manifest in response to real world sensory stimulation, and the second focuses on the neural pathways and mechanisms underlying sensory processing. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the empirical literature on sensory processing in ASD from the last decade, including both studies characterizing sensory symptoms and those that investigate neural response to sensory stimuli. We begin with a discussion of definitions to clarify some of the inconsistencies in terminology that currently exist in the field. Next, the sensory symptoms literature is reviewed with a particular focus on developmental considerations and the relationship of sensory symptoms to other core features of the disorder. Then, the neuroscience literature is reviewed with a focus on methodological approaches and specific sensory modalities. Currently, these sensory symptoms and neuroscience perspectives are largely developing independently from each other leading to multiple, but separate, theories and methods, thus creating a multidisciplinary approach to sensory processing in ASD. In order to progress our understanding of sensory processing in ASD, it is now critical to integrate these two research perspectives and move toward an interdisciplinary approach. This will inevitably aid in a better understanding of the underlying biological basis of these symptoms and help realize the translational value through its application to early identification and treatment. The review ends with specific recommendations for future research to help bridge these two research perspectives in order to advance our understanding of sensory processing in ASD. PMID:27378838

Changes in Ionic Conductance Signature of Nociceptive Neurons Underlying Fabry Disease Phenotype

PubMed Central

Namer, Barbara; Ørstavik, Kirstin; Schmidt, Roland; Mair, Norbert; Kleggetveit, Inge Petter; Zeidler, Maximillian; Martha, Theresa; Jorum, Ellen; Schmelz, Martin; Kalpachidou, Theodora; Kress, Michaela; Langeslag, Michiel

2017-01-01

The first symptom arising in many Fabry patients is neuropathic pain due to changes in small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers in the periphery, which is subsequently followed by a loss of sensory perception. Here we studied changes in the peripheral nervous system of Fabry patients and a Fabry mouse model induced by deletion of α-galactosidase A (Gla−/0). The skin innervation of Gla−/0 mice resembles that of the human Fabry patients. In Fabry diseased humans and Gla−/0 mice, we observed similar sensory abnormalities, which were also observed in nerve fiber recordings in both patients and mice. Electrophysiological recordings of cultured Gla−/0 nociceptors revealed that the conductance of voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+ currents was decreased in Gla−/0 nociceptors, whereas the activation of voltage-gated K+ currents was at more depolarized potentials. Conclusively, we have observed that reduced sensory perception due to small-fiber degeneration coincides with altered electrophysiological properties of sensory neurons. PMID:28769867

Ocular Fixation Abnormality in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shirama, Aya; Kanai, Chieko; Kato, Nobumasa; Kashino, Makio

2016-01-01

We examined the factors that influence ocular fixation control in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) including sensory information, individuals' motor characteristics, and inhibitory control. The ASD group showed difficulty in maintaining fixation especially when there was no fixation target. The fixational eye movement characteristics of…

Temporal Expectation in Focal Hand Dystonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avanzino, Laura; Martino, Davide; Martino, Isadora; Pelosin, Elisa; Vicario, Carmelo M.; Bove, Marco; Defazio, Gianni; Abbruzzese, Giovanni

2013-01-01

Patients with writer's cramp present sensory and representational abnormalities relevant to motor control, such as impairment in the temporal discrimination between tactile stimuli and in pure motor imagery tasks, like the mental rotation of corporeal and inanimate objects. However, only limited information is available on the ability of patients…

Clinical image: MRI during migraine with aura

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McNeal, A.C.

1996-03-01

Migraine refers to severe headaches that are usually unilateral, throbbing, and associated with nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and phonophobia. Migraine with aura (formerly called {open_quotes}classic migraine{close_quotes}) consists of the headache preceded or accompanied by neurological dysfunction. This dysfunction (aura) usually involves visual and sensory symptoms. The patient described herein experienced migraine with aura. MRI during and after the attack showed a reversible abnormality of the right posterior cerebral artery, with no parenchymal lesions. This appears to be the first report of abnormal MR vascular imaging during migraine with aura. 10 refs., 2 figs.

Sensory Processing in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Laura; Goddard, Lorna; Pring, Linda

2009-01-01

Unusual sensory processing has been widely reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); however, the majority of research in this area has focused on children. The present study assessed sensory processing in adults with ASD using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile (AASP), a 60-item self-report questionnaire assessing levels of sensory…

The relationship between children's sensory processing patterns and their leisure preferences and participation patterns.

PubMed

Ismael, Noor T; Lawson, Lisa A Mische; Cox, Jane A

2015-12-01

Sensory processing patterns may be associated with children's preferences for different activities; however, knowledge about how different sensory processing patterns may relate to children's participation in leisure activities is scarce. This study investigated in what leisure activities children with extreme sensory processing patterns participate and if relationships exist between children's sensory processing patterns and their leisure preferences and participation patterns. This correlational study analyzed data from children's Sensory Profiles and reported play and leisure preferences. All 91 children in the sample completed the Children's Assessment for Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) and the Preferences for Activities of Children (PAC). Parents of children ages 6 to 10 years completed the Sensory Profile, and children ages 11 to 14 years completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile. Children with different sensory processing patterns preferred both similar and distinct leisure activities. Low-registration quadrant summary z scores negatively correlated with CAPE overall diversity scores (rs=-.23, p=.03), sensitivity quadrant summary z scores negatively correlated with preferences for social activities (rs=-.23, p=.03) and preferences for skill-based activities (rs=-.22, p=.04), and avoiding quadrant summary z scores negatively correlated with preferences for social activities (rs=-.26, p=.01). Children's sensory preferences are related to leisure preferences and participation. © CAOT 2015.

Behavioral, Perceptual, and Neural Alterations in Sensory and Multisensory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Baum, Sarah H.; Stevenson, Ryan A.; Wallace, Mark T.

2015-01-01

Although sensory processing challenges have been noted since the first clinical descriptions of autism, it has taken until the release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013 for sensory problems to be included as part of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the diagnostic profile. Because sensory information forms the building blocks for higher-order social and cognitive functions, we argue that sensory processing is not only an additional piece of the puzzle, but rather a critical cornerstone for characterizing and understanding ASD. In this review we discuss what is currently known about sensory processing in ASD, how sensory function fits within contemporary models of ASD, and what is understood about the differences in the underlying neural processing of sensory and social communication observed between individuals with and without ASD. In addition to highlighting the sensory features associated with ASD, we also emphasize the importance of multisensory processing in building perceptual and cognitive representations, and how deficits in multisensory integration may also be a core characteristic of ASD. PMID:26455789

Temporal profile of pain and other sensory manifestations in Guillain-Barre' syndrome during ten days of hospitalization.

PubMed

Karkare, K; Taly, Arun B; Sinha, Sanjib; Rao, S

2011-01-01

Focused studies on sensory manifestations, especially pain and paresthesia in Guillain-Barre' (GB) syndrome are few and far between. To study the sensory manifestations in GB syndrome during 10 days of hospitalization with clinico-electrophysiological correlation. The study included 60 non-consecutive patients with GB syndrome, fulfilling National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) criteria for GB syndrome. Data especially related to clinical and electrophysiological evidence of sensory involvement were analyzed. Pain was assessed using a) visual analogue paraesthesias (Vapar), b) visual analogue for pain (Vap) and c) verbal rating scale for pain (Verp). Sensory symptoms were widely prevalent: paraesthesia in 45 (75%) patients and pain in 30 (50%) patients. Impairment of different sensory modalities included: pain in 8 (13.3%), joint position sense in 14 (23.3%), and vibration in 11 (18.3%). Electrophysiological evidence of abnormal sensory nerve conduction was noted in 35 (58.3%) patients. Pain assessment using Vapar, Vap and Verp for from Day 1 to Day 10 of hospitalization revealed that from Day 7 onwards the degree and frequency of sensory symptoms and signs decreased. On comparing various clinico-electrophysiological parameters among patients of GB syndrome with and without pain and paresthesia. Presence of respiratory distress correlated with pain and paresthesia (P=0.02). Sensory manifestations in GB syndrome are often under-recognized and under-emphasized. This study analyzed the evolution and the profile of pain and paresthesia in GB syndrome during hospitalization. Knowledge, especially about evolution of pain and paresthesia during hospitalization might improve understanding and patient care.

Early electrophysiological findings in Fisher-Bickerstaff syndrome.

PubMed

Alberti, M A; Povedano, M; Montero, J; Casasnovas, C

2017-09-06

The term Fisher-Bickerstaff syndrome (FBS) has been proposed to describe the clinical spectrum encompassing Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) and Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis. The pathophysiology of FBS and the nature of the underlying neuropathy (demyelinating or axonal) are still subject to debate. This study describes the main findings of an early neurophysiological study on 12 patients diagnosed with FBS. Retrospective evaluation of clinical characteristics and electrophysiological findings of 12 patients with FBS seen in our neurology department within 10 days of disease onset. Follow-up electrophysiological studies were also evaluated, where available. The most frequent electrophysiological finding, present in 5 (42%) patients, was reduced sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude in one or more nerves. Abnormalities were rarely found in motor neurography, with no signs of demyelination. The cranial nerve exam revealed abnormalities in 3 patients (facial neurography and/or blink reflex test). Three patients showed resolution of SNAP amplitude reduction in serial neurophysiological studies, suggesting the presence of reversible sensory nerve conduction block. Results from cranial MRI scans were normal in all patients. An electrophysiological pattern of sensory axonal neuropathy, with no associated signs of demyelination, is an early finding of FBS. Early neurophysiological evaluation and follow-up are essential for diagnosing patients with FBS. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Patterns of Sensory Processing in Children with and without Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Phoebe P. P.; Siu, Andrew M. H.

2009-01-01

This study compared the patterns of sensory processing among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and children without disabilities. Parents reported on the frequency of sensory processing issues by completing the Chinese Sensory Profile (CSP). Children with disabilities (ASD or ADHD)…

Awake vs. anesthetized: layer-specific sensory processing in visual cortex and functional connectivity between cortical areas

PubMed Central

Sellers, Kristin K.; Bennett, Davis V.; Hutt, Axel; Williams, James H.

2015-01-01

During general anesthesia, global brain activity and behavioral state are profoundly altered. Yet it remains mostly unknown how anesthetics alter sensory processing across cortical layers and modulate functional cortico-cortical connectivity. To address this gap in knowledge of the micro- and mesoscale effects of anesthetics on sensory processing in the cortical microcircuit, we recorded multiunit activity and local field potential in awake and anesthetized ferrets (Mustela putoris furo) during sensory stimulation. To understand how anesthetics alter sensory processing in a primary sensory area and the representation of sensory input in higher-order association areas, we studied the local sensory responses and long-range functional connectivity of primary visual cortex (V1) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Isoflurane combined with xylazine provided general anesthesia for all anesthetized recordings. We found that anesthetics altered the duration of sensory-evoked responses, disrupted the response dynamics across cortical layers, suppressed both multimodal interactions in V1 and sensory responses in PFC, and reduced functional cortico-cortical connectivity between V1 and PFC. Together, the present findings demonstrate altered sensory responses and impaired functional network connectivity during anesthesia at the level of multiunit activity and local field potential across cortical layers. PMID:25833839

Brain structural correlates of sensory phenomena in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Subirà, Marta; Sato, João R.; Alonso, Pino; do Rosário, Maria C.; Segalàs, Cinto; Batistuzzo, Marcelo C.; Real, Eva; Lopes, Antonio C.; Cerrillo, Ester; Diniz, Juliana B.; Pujol, Jesús; Assis, Rachel O.; Menchón, José M.; Shavitt, Roseli G.; Busatto, Geraldo F.; Cardoner, Narcís; Miguel, Euripedes C.; Hoexter, Marcelo Q.; Soriano-Mas, Carles

2015-01-01

Background Sensory phenomena (SP) are uncomfortable feelings, including bodily sensations, sense of inner tension, “just-right” perceptions, feelings of incompleteness, or “urge-only” phenomena, which have been described to precede, trigger or accompany repetitive behaviours in individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Sensory phenomena are also observed in individuals with tic disorders, and previous research suggests that sensorimotor cortex abnormalities underpin the presence of SP in such patients. However, to our knowledge, no studies have assessed the neural correlates of SP in patients with OCD. Methods We assessed the presence of SP using the University of São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale in patients with OCD and healthy controls from specialized units in São Paulo, Brazil, and Barcelona, Spain. All participants underwent a structural magnetic resonance examination, and brain images were examined using DARTEL voxel-based morphometry. We evaluated grey matter volume differences between patients with and without SP and healthy controls within the sensorimotor and premotor cortices. Results We included 106 patients with OCD and 87 controls in our study. Patients with SP (67% of the sample) showed grey matter volume increases in the left sensorimotor cortex in comparison to patients without SP and bilateral sensorimotor cortex grey matter volume increases in comparison to controls. No differences were observed between patients without SP and controls. Limitations Most patients were medicated. Participant recruitment and image acquisition were performed in 2 different centres. Conclusion We have identified a structural correlate of SP in patients with OCD involving grey matter volume increases within the sensorimotor cortex; this finding is in agreement with those of tic disorder studies showing that abnormal activity and volume increases within this region are associated with the urges preceding tic onset. PMID:25652753

Effects of aberrant gamma frequency oscillations on prepulse inhibition.

PubMed

Jones, Nigel C; Anderson, Paul; Rind, Gil; Sullivan, Caley; van den Buuse, Maarten; O'Brien, Terence J

2014-10-01

Emerging literature implicates abnormalities in gamma frequency oscillations in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, with hypofunction of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors implicated as a key factor. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a behavioural measure of sensorimotor gating, which is disrupted in schizophrenia. We studied relationships between ongoing and sensory-evoked gamma oscillations and PPI using pharmacological interventions designed to increase gamma oscillations (ketamine, MK-801); reduce gamma oscillations (LY379268); or disrupt PPI (amphetamine). We predicted that elevating ongoing gamma power would lead to increased 'neural noise' in cortical circuits, dampened sensory-evoked gamma responses and disrupted behaviour. Wistar rats were implanted with EEG recording electrodes. They received ketamine (5 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.16 mg/kg), amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg), LY379268 (3 mg/kg) or vehicle and underwent PPI sessions with concurrent EEG recording. Ketamine and MK-801 increased the power of ongoing gamma oscillations and caused time-matched disruptions of PPI, while amphetamine marginally affected ongoing gamma power. In contrast, LY379268 reduced ongoing gamma power, but had no effect on PPI. The sensory gamma response evoked by the prepulse was reduced following treatment with all psychotomimetics, associating with disruptions in PPI. This was most noticeable following treatment with NMDA receptor antagonists. We found that ketamine and MK-801 increase ongoing gamma power and reduce evoked gamma power, both of which are related to disruptions in sensorimotor gating. This appears to be due to antagonism of NMDA receptors, since amphetamine and LY379268 differentially impacted these outcomes and possess different neuropharmacological substrates. Aberrant gamma frequency oscillations caused by NMDA receptor hypofunction may mediate the sensory processing deficits observed in schizophrenia.

Sensory Innervation of the Nonspecialized Connective Tissues in the Low Back of the Rat

PubMed Central

Corey, Sarah M.; Vizzard, Margaret A.; Badger, Gary J.; Langevin, Helene M.

2011-01-01

Chronic musculoskeletal pain, including low back pain, is a worldwide debilitating condition; however, the mechanisms that underlie its development remain poorly understood. Pathological neuroplastic changes in the sensory innervation of connective tissue may contribute to the development of nonspecific chronic low back pain. Progress in understanding such potentially important abnormalities is hampered by limited knowledge of connective tissue's normal sensory innervation. The goal of this study was to evaluate and quantify the sensory nerve fibers terminating within the nonspecialized connective tissues in the low back of the rat. With 3-dimensional reconstructions of thick (30–80 μm) tissue sections we have for the first time conclusively identified sensory nerve fiber terminations within the collagen matrix of connective tissue in the low back. Using dye labeling techniques with Fast Blue, presumptive dorsal root ganglia cells that innervate the low back were identified. Of the Fast Blue-labeled cells, 60–88% also expressed calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity. Based on the immunolabeling with CGRP and the approximate size of these nerve fibers (≤2 μm) we hypothesize that they are Aδ or C fibers and thus may play a role in the development of chronic pain. PMID:21411968

Morphological differences in skeletal muscle atrophy of rats with motor nerve and/or sensory nerve injury★

PubMed Central

Zhao, Lei; Lv, Guangming; Jiang, Shengyang; Yan, Zhiqiang; Sun, Junming; Wang, Ling; Jiang, Donglin

2012-01-01

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs after denervation. The present study dissected the rat left ventral root and dorsal root at L4-6 or the sciatic nerve to establish a model of simple motor nerve injury, sensory nerve injury or mixed nerve injury. Results showed that with prolonged denervation time, rats with simple motor nerve injury, sensory nerve injury or mixed nerve injury exhibited abnormal behavior, reduced wet weight of the left gastrocnemius muscle, decreased diameter and cross-sectional area and altered ultrastructure of muscle cells, as well as decreased cross-sectional area and increased gray scale of the gastrocnemius muscle motor end plate. Moreover, at the same time point, the pathological changes were most severe in mixed nerve injury, followed by simple motor nerve injury, and the changes in simple sensory nerve injury were the mildest. These findings indicate that normal skeletal muscle morphology is maintained by intact innervation. Motor nerve injury resulted in larger damage to skeletal muscle and more severe atrophy than sensory nerve injury. Thus, reconstruction of motor nerves should be considered first in the clinical treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy caused by denervation. PMID:25337102

Effectiveness and Usability of the Sensory Processing Measure-Preschool Quick Tips: Data-Driven Intervention Following the Use of the SPM-Preschool in an Early Childhood, Multiple-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Carol H.; Henry, Diana A.; Kliner, Ashley Peck; Kyllo, Alissa; Richter, Chelsea Munson; Charley, Jane; Whitcher, Meagan Chapman; Reinke, Katherine Roth; Tysver, Chelsay Horner; Wagner, Lacey; Walworth, Jessica

2016-01-01

This pre- and posttest multiple-case study examined the effectiveness and usability of the Sensory Processing Measure-Preschool Quick Tips (SPM-P QT) by key stakeholders (parents and teachers) for implementing data-driven intervention to address sensory processing challenges. The Sensory Processing Measure-Preschool (SPM-P) was administered as an…

Examining Sensory Quadrants in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kern, Janet K.; Garver, Carolyn R.; Carmody, Thomas; Andrews, Alonzo A.; Trivedi, Madhukar H.; Mehta, Jyutika A.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine sensory quadrants in autism based on Dunn's Theory of Sensory Processing. The data for this study was collected as part of a cross-sectional study that examined sensory processing (using the Sensory Profile) in 103 persons with autism, 3-43 years of age, compared to 103 age- and gender-matched community…

Sensory-processing sensitivity in social anxiety disorder: Relationship to harm avoidance and diagnostic subtypes

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Stefan G.; Bitran, Stella

2007-01-01

Sensory-processing sensitivity is assumed to be a heritable vulnerability factor for shyness. The present study is the first to examine sensory-processing sensitivity among individuals with social anxiety disorder. The results showed that the construct is separate from social anxiety, but it is highly correlated with harm avoidance and agoraphobic avoidance. Individuals with a generalized subtype of social anxiety disorder reported higher levels of sensory-processing sensitivity than individuals with a non-generalized subtype. These preliminary findings suggest that sensory-processing sensitivity is uniquely associated with the generalized subtype of social anxiety disorder. Recommendations for future research are discussed. PMID:17241764

Emotional self-other voice processing in schizophrenia and its relationship with hallucinations: ERP evidence.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Ana P; Rezaii, Neguine; Rauber, Andréia; Nestor, Paul G; Spencer, Kevin M; Niznikiewicz, Margaret

2017-09-01

Abnormalities in self-other voice processing have been observed in schizophrenia, and may underlie the experience of hallucinations. More recent studies demonstrated that these impairments are enhanced for speech stimuli with negative content. Nonetheless, few studies probed the temporal dynamics of self versus nonself speech processing in schizophrenia and, particularly, the impact of semantic valence on self-other voice discrimination. In the current study, we examined these questions, and additionally probed whether impairments in these processes are associated with the experience of hallucinations. Fifteen schizophrenia patients and 16 healthy controls listened to 420 prerecorded adjectives differing in voice identity (self-generated [SGS] versus nonself speech [NSS]) and semantic valence (neutral, positive, and negative), while EEG data were recorded. The N1, P2, and late positive potential (LPP) ERP components were analyzed. ERP results revealed group differences in the interaction between voice identity and valence in the P2 and LPP components. Specifically, LPP amplitude was reduced in patients compared with healthy subjects for SGS and NSS with negative content. Further, auditory hallucinations severity was significantly predicted by LPP amplitude: the higher the SAPS "voices conversing" score, the larger the difference in LPP amplitude between negative and positive NSS. The absence of group differences in the N1 suggests that self-other voice processing abnormalities in schizophrenia are not primarily driven by disrupted sensory processing of voice acoustic information. The association between LPP amplitude and hallucination severity suggests that auditory hallucinations are associated with enhanced sustained attention to negative cues conveyed by a nonself voice. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Role of the Sensorimotor Cortex in Tourette Syndrome using Multimodal Imaging

PubMed Central

Tinaz, Sule; Belluscio, Beth A.; Malone, Patrick; van der Veen, Jan Willem; Hallett, Mark; Horovitz, Silvina G.

2016-01-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. Most patients describe uncomfortable premonitory sensations preceding the tics and a subjective experience of increased sensitivity to tactile stimuli. These reports indicate that a sensory processing disturbance is an important component of TS together with motor phenomena. Thus, we focused our investigation on the role of the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) in TS using multimodal neuroimaging techniques. We measured the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)+/Creatine (Cre) ratio in the SMC using GABA 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We recorded the baseline beta activity in the SMC using magnetoencephalography and correlated GABA+/Cre ratio with baseline beta band power. Finally, we examined the resting state functional connectivity (FC) pattern of the SMC using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). GABA+/Cre ratio in the SMC did not differ between patients and controls. Correlation between the baseline beta band power and GABA+/Cre ratio was abnormal in patients. The anterior insula showed increased FC with the SMC in patients. These findings suggest that altered limbic input to the SMC and abnormal GABA-mediated beta oscillations in the SMC may underpin some of the sensorimotor processing disturbances in TS and contribute to tic generation. PMID:25044024

Brief Report: Assessment of Early Sensory Processing in Infants at High-Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Germani, Tamara; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Bryson, Susan; Brian, Jessica; Smith, Isabel; Roberts, Wendy; Szatmari, Peter; Roncadin, Caroline; Sacrey, Lori Ann R.; Garon, Nancy; Vaillancourt, Tracy

2014-01-01

This study assessed sensory processing differences between 24-month infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), each with an older sibling with ASD, and low-risk infants with no family history of ASD. Sensory processing differences were assessed using the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile, a parent-reported measure. Groups were compared…

Associated phoria and the measuring and correcting methodology after H.-J. Haase (MKH).

PubMed

Brautaset, R L; Jennings, J A

2001-09-01

The test charts included in the Polatest, designed by H.-J. Haase and manufactured by Zeiss, are used in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia for prism correction of 'associated phoria.' From clinical experience with the Polatest Haase developed a motor and sensory theory of the different stages of decompensation of 'associated phoria ' and a strategy for its prismatic correction - the MKH (Measuring and Correcting Methodology after H.-J. Haase). The theory challenges many accepted ideas about the plasticity of the visual system and the use of prisms in the treatment of sensory abnormalities. This article, the first full description in English, describes and critically discusses the MKH.

Abnormal Fear Memory as a Model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

PubMed

Desmedt, Aline; Marighetto, Aline; Piazza, Pier-Vincenzo

2015-09-01

For over a century, clinicians have consistently described the paradoxical co-existence in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of sensory intrusive hypermnesia and declarative amnesia for the same traumatic event. Although this amnesia is considered as a critical etiological factor of the development and/or persistence of PTSD, most current animal models in basic neuroscience have focused exclusively on the hypermnesia, i.e., the persistence of a strong fear memory, neglecting the qualitative alteration of fear memory. The latest is characterized by an underrepresentation of the trauma in the context-based declarative memory system in favor of its overrepresentation in a cue-based sensory/emotional memory system. Combining psychological and neurobiological data as well as theoretical hypotheses, this review supports the idea that contextual amnesia is at the core of PTSD and its persistence and that altered hippocampal-amygdalar interaction may contribute to such pathologic memory. In a first attempt to unveil the neurobiological alterations underlying PTSD-related hypermnesia/amnesia, we describe a recent animal model mimicking in mice some critical aspects of such abnormal fear memory. Finally, this line of argument emphasizes the pressing need for a systematic comparison between normal/adaptive versus abnormal/maladaptive fear memory to identify biomarkers of PTSD while distinguishing them from general stress-related, potentially adaptive, neurobiological alterations. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sensory processing and world modeling for an active ranging device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Tsai-Hong; Wu, Angela Y.

1991-01-01

In this project, we studied world modeling and sensory processing for laser range data. World Model data representation and operation were defined. Sensory processing algorithms for point processing and linear feature detection were designed and implemented. The interface between world modeling and sensory processing in the Servo and Primitive levels was investigated and implemented. In the primitive level, linear features detectors for edges were also implemented, analyzed and compared. The existing world model representations is surveyed. Also presented is the design and implementation of the Y-frame model, a hierarchical world model. The interfaces between the world model module and the sensory processing module are discussed as well as the linear feature detectors that were designed and implemented.

Complex interaction of sensory and motor signs and symptoms in chronic CRPS.

PubMed

Huge, Volker; Lauchart, Meike; Magerl, Walter; Beyer, Antje; Moehnle, Patrick; Kaufhold, Wibke; Schelling, Gustav; Azad, Shahnaz Christina

2011-04-29

Spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia as well as sensory abnormalities, autonomic, trophic, and motor disturbances are key features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This study was conceived to comprehensively characterize the interaction of these symptoms in 118 patients with chronic upper limb CRPS (duration of disease: 43±23 months). Disease-related stress, depression, and the degree of accompanying motor disability were likewise assessed. Stress and depression were measured by Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Score and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test. Motor disability of the affected hand was determined by Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire. Sensory changes were assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing according to the standards of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Almost two-thirds of all patients exhibited spontaneous pain at rest. Hand force as well as hand motor function were found to be substantially impaired. Results of Quantitative Sensory Testing revealed a distinct pattern of generalized bilateral sensory loss and hyperalgesia, most prominently to blunt pressure. Patients reported substantial motor complaints confirmed by the objective motor disability testings. Interestingly, patients displayed clinically relevant levels of stress and depression. We conclude that chronic CRPS is characterized by a combination of ongoing pain, pain-related disability, stress and depression, potentially triggered by peripheral nerve/tissue damage and ensuing sensory loss. In order to consolidate the different dimensions of disturbances in chronic CRPS, we developed a model based on interaction analysis suggesting a complex hierarchical interaction of peripheral (injury/sensory loss) and central factors (pain/disability/stress/depression) predicting motor dysfunction and hyperalgesia.

Complex Interaction of Sensory and Motor Signs and Symptoms in Chronic CRPS

PubMed Central

Huge, Volker; Lauchart, Meike; Magerl, Walter; Beyer, Antje; Moehnle, Patrick; Kaufhold, Wibke; Schelling, Gustav; Azad, Shahnaz Christina

2011-01-01

Spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia as well as sensory abnormalities, autonomic, trophic, and motor disturbances are key features of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This study was conceived to comprehensively characterize the interaction of these symptoms in 118 patients with chronic upper limb CRPS (duration of disease: 43±23 months). Disease-related stress, depression, and the degree of accompanying motor disability were likewise assessed. Stress and depression were measured by Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Score and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Test. Motor disability of the affected hand was determined by Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment and Michigan Hand Questionnaire. Sensory changes were assessed by Quantitative Sensory Testing according to the standards of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Almost two-thirds of all patients exhibited spontaneous pain at rest. Hand force as well as hand motor function were found to be substantially impaired. Results of Quantitative Sensory Testing revealed a distinct pattern of generalized bilateral sensory loss and hyperalgesia, most prominently to blunt pressure. Patients reported substantial motor complaints confirmed by the objective motor disability testings. Interestingly, patients displayed clinically relevant levels of stress and depression. We conclude that chronic CRPS is characterized by a combination of ongoing pain, pain-related disability, stress and depression, potentially triggered by peripheral nerve/tissue damage and ensuing sensory loss. In order to consolidate the different dimensions of disturbances in chronic CRPS, we developed a model based on interaction analysis suggesting a complex hierarchical interaction of peripheral (injury/sensory loss) and central factors (pain/disability/stress/depression) predicting motor dysfunction and hyperalgesia. PMID:21559525

Low level image processing techniques using the pipeline image processing engine in the flight telerobotic servicer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nashman, Marilyn; Chaconas, Karen J.

1988-01-01

The sensory processing system for the NASA/NBS Standard Reference Model (NASREM) for telerobotic control is described. This control system architecture was adopted by NASA of the Flight Telerobotic Servicer. The control system is hierarchically designed and consists of three parallel systems: task decomposition, world modeling, and sensory processing. The Sensory Processing System is examined, and in particular the image processing hardware and software used to extract features at low levels of sensory processing for tasks representative of those envisioned for the Space Station such as assembly and maintenance are described.

Is Attentional Resource Allocation Across Sensory Modalities Task-Dependent?

PubMed

Wahn, Basil; König, Peter

2017-01-01

Human information processing is limited by attentional resources. That is, via attentional mechanisms, humans select a limited amount of sensory input to process while other sensory input is neglected. In multisensory research, a matter of ongoing debate is whether there are distinct pools of attentional resources for each sensory modality or whether attentional resources are shared across sensory modalities. Recent studies have suggested that attentional resource allocation across sensory modalities is in part task-dependent. That is, the recruitment of attentional resources across the sensory modalities depends on whether processing involves object-based attention (e.g., the discrimination of stimulus attributes) or spatial attention (e.g., the localization of stimuli). In the present paper, we review findings in multisensory research related to this view. For the visual and auditory sensory modalities, findings suggest that distinct resources are recruited when humans perform object-based attention tasks, whereas for the visual and tactile sensory modalities, partially shared resources are recruited. If object-based attention tasks are time-critical, shared resources are recruited across the sensory modalities. When humans perform an object-based attention task in combination with a spatial attention task, partly shared resources are recruited across the sensory modalities as well. Conversely, for spatial attention tasks, attentional processing does consistently involve shared attentional resources for the sensory modalities. Generally, findings suggest that the attentional system flexibly allocates attentional resources depending on task demands. We propose that such flexibility reflects a large-scale optimization strategy that minimizes the brain's costly resource expenditures and simultaneously maximizes capability to process currently relevant information.

Microbial spoilage of portuguese chouriço along shelf life period

PubMed Central

de Jesus da Silva Matos, Teresa; Bruno-Soares, Arminda; Azevedo, António Amaral

2013-01-01

Microbial flora of portuguese chouriço (Alentejano (A) and Ribatejano (R)) with abnormal sensorial characteristics along shelf life was studied. Mesophilic anaerobic bacteria, enterococci, mesophilic sporeformers, coliforms, coagulase-positive staphylococci, sulphite reducing clostridia, Clostridium perfringens, moulds and yeasts were the most representative in both types of chouriço. PMID:24159290

Emotion Dysregulation and the Core Features of Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samson, Andrea C.; Phillips, Jennifer M.; Parker, Karen J.; Shah, Shweta; Gross, James J.; Hardan, Antonio Y.

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between emotion dysregulation and the core features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which include social/communication deficits, restricted/repetitive behaviors, and sensory abnormalities. An 18-item Emotion Dysregulation Index was developed on the basis of expert ratings of the Child…

Impaired encoding of rapid pitch information underlies perception and memory deficits in congenital amusia.

PubMed

Albouy, Philippe; Cousineau, Marion; Caclin, Anne; Tillmann, Barbara; Peretz, Isabelle

2016-01-06

Recent theories suggest that the basis of neurodevelopmental auditory disorders such as dyslexia or specific language impairment might be a low-level sensory dysfunction. In the present study we test this hypothesis in congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in the processing of pitch-based material. We manipulated the temporal characteristics of auditory stimuli and investigated the influence of the time given to encode pitch information on participants' performance in discrimination and short-term memory. Our results show that amusics' performance in such tasks scales with the duration available to encode acoustic information. This suggests that in auditory neuro-developmental disorders, abnormalities in early steps of the auditory processing can underlie the high-level deficits (here musical disabilities). Observing that the slowing down of temporal dynamics improves amusics' pitch abilities allows considering this approach as a potential tool for remediation in developmental auditory disorders.

Cognitive, neurophysiological, and functional correlates of proverb interpretation abnormalities in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kiang, Michael; Light, Gregory A; Prugh, Jocelyn; Coulson, Seana; Braff, David L; Kutas, Marta

2007-07-01

A hallmark of schizophrenia is impaired proverb interpretation, which could be due to: (1) aberrant activation of disorganized semantic associations, or (2) working memory (WM) deficits. We assessed 18 schizophrenia patients and 18 normal control participants on proverb interpretation, and evaluated these two hypotheses by examining within patients the correlations of proverb interpretation with disorganized symptoms and auditory WM, respectively. Secondarily, we also explored the relationships between proverb interpretation and a spectrum of cognitive functions including auditory sensory-memory encoding (as indexed by the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related brain potential (ERP)); executive function; and social/occupational function. As expected, schizophrenia patients produced less accurate and less abstract descriptions of proverbs than did controls. These proverb interpretation difficulties in patients were not significantly correlated with disorganization or other symptom factors, but were significantly correlated (p < .05) with WM impairment, as well as with impairments in sensory-memory encoding, executive function, and social/occupational function. These results offer no support for disorganized associations in abnormal proverb interpretation in schizophrenia, but implicate WM deficits, perhaps as a part of a syndrome related to generalized frontal cortical dysfunction.

Sensory Symptom Profiles and Co-Morbidities in Painful Radiculopathy

PubMed Central

Gockel, Ulrich; Brosz, Mathias; Freynhagen, Rainer; Tölle, Thomas R.; Baron, Ralf

2011-01-01

Painful radiculopathies (RAD) and classical neuropathic pain syndromes (painful diabetic polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia) show differences how the patients express their sensory perceptions. Furthermore, several clinical trials with neuropathic pain medications failed in painful radiculopathy. Epidemiological and clinical data of 2094 patients with painful radiculopathy were collected within a cross sectional survey (painDETECT) to describe demographic data and co-morbidities and to detect characteristic sensory abnormalities in patients with RAD and compare them with other neuropathic pain syndromes. Common co-morbidities in neuropathic pain (depression, sleep disturbance, anxiety) do not differ considerably between the three conditions. Compared to other neuropathic pain syndromes touch-evoked allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia are relatively uncommon in RAD. One distinct sensory symptom pattern (sensory profile), i.e., severe painful attacks and pressure induced pain in combination with mild spontaneous pain, mild mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, was found to be characteristic for RAD. Despite similarities in sensory symptoms there are two important differences between RAD and other neuropathic pain disorders: (1) The paucity of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia might be explained by the fact that the site of the nerve lesion in RAD is often located proximal to the dorsal root ganglion. (2) The distinct sensory profile found in RAD might be explained by compression-induced ectopic discharges from a dorsal root and not necessarily by nerve damage. These differences in pathogenesis might explain why medications effective in DPN and PHN failed to demonstrate efficacy in RAD. PMID:21573064

Intercellular communication in sensory ganglia by purinergic receptors and gap junctions: implications for chronic pain.

PubMed

Hanani, Menachem

2012-12-03

Peripheral injury can cause abnormal activity in sensory neurons, which is a major factor in chronic pain. Recent work has shown that injury induces major changes not only in sensory neurons but also in the main type of glial cells in sensory ganglia-satellite glial cells (SGCs), and that interactions between sensory neurons and SGCs contribute to neuronal activity in pain models. The main functional changes observed in SGCs after injury are an increased gap junction-mediated coupling among these cells, and augmented sensitivity to ATP. There is evidence that the augmented gap junctions contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability in pain models, but the mechanism underlying this effect is not known. The changes in SGCs described above have been found following a wide range of injuries (both axotomy and inflammation) in somatic, orofacial and visceral regions, and therefore appear to be a general feature in chronic pain. We have found that in cultures of sensory ganglia calcium signals can spread from an SGC to neighboring cells by calcium waves, which are mediated by gap junctions and ATP acting on purinergic P2 receptors. A model is proposed to explain how augmented gap junctions and greater sensitivity to ATP can combine to produce enhanced calcium waves, which can lead to neuronal excitation. Thus this simple scheme can account for several major changes in sensory ganglia that are common to a great variety of pain models. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contribution of intravestibular sensory conflict to motion sickness and dizziness in migraine disorders.

PubMed

Wang, Joanne; Lewis, Richard F

2016-10-01

Migraine is associated with enhanced motion sickness susceptibility and can cause episodic vertigo [vestibular migraine (VM)], but the mechanisms relating migraine to these vestibular symptoms remain uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that the central integration of rotational cues (from the semicircular canals) and gravitational cues (from the otolith organs) is abnormal in migraine patients. A postrotational tilt paradigm generated a conflict between canal cues (which indicate the head is rotating) and otolith cues (which indicate the head is tilted and stationary), and eye movements were measured to quantify two behaviors that are thought to minimize this conflict: suppression and reorientation of the central angular velocity signal, evidenced by attenuation ("dumping") of the vestibuloocular reflex and shifting of the rotational axis of the vestibuloocular reflex toward the earth vertical. We found that normal and migraine subjects, but not VM patients, displayed an inverse correlation between the extent of dumping and the size of the axis shift such that the net "conflict resolution" mediated through these two mechanisms approached an optimal value and that the residual sensory conflict in VM patients (but not migraine or normal subjects) correlated with motion sickness susceptibility. Our findings suggest that the brain normally controls the dynamic and spatial characteristics of central vestibular signals to minimize intravestibular sensory conflict and that this process is disrupted in VM, which may be responsible for the enhance motion intolerance and episodic vertigo that characterize this disorder. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Functional neuroimaging of conversion disorder: the role of ancillary activation.

PubMed

Burke, Matthew J; Ghaffar, Omar; Staines, W Richard; Downar, Jonathan; Feinstein, Anthony

2014-01-01

Previous functional neuroimaging studies investigating the neuroanatomy of conversion disorder have yielded inconsistent results that may be attributed to small sample sizes and disparate methodologies. The objective of this study was to better define the functional neuroanatomical correlates of conversion disorder. Ten subjects meeting clinical criteria for unilateral sensory conversion disorder underwent fMRI during which a vibrotactile stimulus was applied to anesthetic and sensate areas. A block design was used with 4 s of stimulation followed by 26 s of rest, the pattern repeated 10 times. Event-related group averages of the BOLD response were compared between conditions. All subjects were right-handed females, with a mean age of 41. Group analyses revealed 10 areas that had significantly greater activation (p < .05) when stimulation was applied to the anesthetic body part compared to the contralateral sensate mirror region. They included right paralimbic cortices (anterior cingulate cortex and insula), right temporoparietal junction (angular gyrus and inferior parietal lobule), bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (middle frontal gyri), right orbital frontal cortex (superior frontal gyrus), right caudate, right ventral-anterior thalamus and left angular gyrus. There was a trend for activation of the somatosensory cortex contralateral to the anesthetic region to be decreased relative to the sensate side. Sensory conversion symptoms are associated with a pattern of abnormal cerebral activation comprising neural networks implicated in emotional processing and sensory integration. Further study of the roles and potential interplay of these networks may provide a basis for an underlying psychobiological mechanism of conversion disorder.

Altered Brain Network in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Resting Graph Theory-Based Network Study at Voxel-Wise Level.

PubMed

Zhou, Chaoyang; Hu, Xiaofei; Hu, Jun; Liang, Minglong; Yin, Xuntao; Chen, Lin; Zhang, Jiuquan; Wang, Jian

2016-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare degenerative disorder characterized by loss of upper and lower motor neurons. Neuroimaging has provided noticeable evidence that ALS is a complex disease, and shown that anatomical and functional lesions extend beyond precentral cortices and corticospinal tracts, to include the corpus callosum; frontal, sensory, and premotor cortices; thalamus; and midbrain. The aim of this study is to investigate graph theory-based functional network abnormalities at voxel-wise level in ALS patients on a whole brain scale. Forty-three ALS patients and 44 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled. The voxel-wise network degree centrality (DC), a commonly employed graph-based measure of network organization, was used to characterize the alteration of whole brain functional network. Compared with the controls, the ALS patients showed significant increase of DC in the left cerebellum posterior lobes, bilateral cerebellum crus, bilateral occipital poles, right orbital frontal lobe, and bilateral prefrontal lobes; significant decrease of DC in the bilateral primary motor cortex, bilateral sensory motor region, right prefrontal lobe, left bilateral precuneus, bilateral lateral temporal lobes, left cingulate cortex, and bilateral visual processing cortex. The DC's z-scores of right inferior occipital gyrus were significant negative correlated with the ALSFRS-r scores. Our findings confirm that the regions with abnormal network DC in ALS patients were located in multiple brain regions including primary motor, somatosensory and extra-motor areas, supporting the concept that ALS is a multisystem disorder. Specifically, our study found that DC in the visual areas was altered and ALS patients with higher DC in right inferior occipital gyrus have more severity of disease. The result demonstrated that the altered DC value in this region can probably be used to assess severity of ALS.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with primary biliary cirrhosis.

PubMed

Murata, Ken-ya; Ishiguchi, Hiroshi; Ando, Ryuki; Miwa, Hideto; Kondo, Tomoyoshi

2013-12-01

We report a patient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Except for minimal biochemical abnormalities, clinical symptoms of PBC were not observed, and we diagnosed our patient with asymptomatic PBC from the results of a liver biopsy. Although the patient noticed little muscle weakness, an electrophysiological study demonstrated slow conduction velocities and prolonged distal latencies, with definite conduction blocks in the median, ulnar, and tibial nerves. The disturbed sensory pattern was asymmetrical, and sensory nerve action potentials were not evoked. From these observations, we diagnosed this patient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Neuropathy associated with PBC is very rare. We must differentiate demyelinating neuropathy with PBC in patients with asymmetrical sensory dominant neuropathy with high immunoglobulin M titers, and investigate for the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies to rule out a complication of asymptomatic PBC. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative sensory testing of neuropathic pain patients: potential mechanistic and therapeutic implications.

PubMed

Pfau, Doreen B; Geber, Christian; Birklein, Frank; Treede, Rolf-Detlef

2012-06-01

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a widely accepted tool to investigate somatosensory changes in pain patients. Many different protocols have been developed in clinical pain research within recent years. In this review, we provide an overview of QST and tested neuroanatomical pathways, including peripheral and central structures. Based on research studies using animal and human surrogate models of neuropathic pain, possible underlying mechanisms of chronic pain are discussed. Clinically, QST may be useful for 1) the identification of subgroups of patients with different underlying pain mechanisms; 2) prediction of therapeutic outcomes; and 3) quantification of therapeutic interventions in pain therapy. Combined with sensory mapping, QST may provide useful information on the site of neural damage and on mechanisms of positive and negative somatosensory abnormalities. The use of QST in individual patients for diagnostic purposes leading to individualized therapy is an interesting concept, but needs further validation.

Amplitude and timing of somatosensory cortex activity in Task Specific Focal Hand Dystonia

PubMed Central

Dolberg, Rebecca; Hinkley, Leighton B. N.; Honma, Susanne; Zhu, Zhao; Findlay, Anne M.; Byl, Nancy N.; Nagarjan, Srikantan S.

2011-01-01

Objective Task-specific focal hand dystonia (tspFHD) is a movement disorder diagnosed in individuals performing repetitive hand behaviors. The extent to which processing anomalies in primary sensory cortex extend to other regions or across the two hemispheres is presently unclear. Methods In response to low/high rate and novel tactile stimuli on the affected and unaffected hands, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to elaborate activity timing and amplitude in the primary somatosensory (S1) and secondary somatosensory/parietal ventral (S2/PV) cortices. MEG and clinical performance measures were collected from thirteen patients and matched controls. Results Compared to controls, subjects with tspFHD had increased response amplitude in S2/PV bilaterally in response to high rate and novel stimuli. Subjects with tspFHD also showed increased response latency (low rate, novel) of the affected digits in contralateral S1. For high rate, subjects with tspFHD showed increased response latency in ipsilateral S1 and S2/PV bilaterally. Activation differences correlated with functional sensory deficits (predicting a latency shift in S1), motor speed and muscle strength. Conclusions There are objective differences in the amplitude and timing of activity for both hands across contralateral and ipsilateral somatosensory cortex in patients with tspFHD. Significance Knowledge of cortical processing abnormalities across S1 and S2/PV in dystonia should be applied towards the development of learning based sensorimotor interventions. PMID:21802357

A Systematic Review of Sensory Processing Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Case-Smith, Jane; Weaver, Lindy L.; Fristad, Mary A.

2015-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorders often exhibit co-occurring sensory processing problems and receive interventions that target self-regulation. In current practice, sensory interventions apply different theoretic constructs, focus on different goals, use a variety of sensory modalities, and involve markedly disparate procedures. Previous…

Sensational Stars with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Karen; Miller, Lucy Jane

2008-01-01

Sensory processing refers to the way the brain takes incoming sensory messages, converts them into meaningful messages, then makes a response. If the responses are disorganized or inappropriate given the sensory input, sensory processing disorder (SPD) may co-exist with autism. If a child has an occasional atypical response to sensation, he or she…

Clinical neurophysiology and quantitative sensory testing in the investigation of orofacial pain and sensory function.

PubMed

Jääskeläinen, Satu K

2004-01-01

Chronic orofacial pain represents a diagnostic and treatment challenge for the clinician. Some conditions, such as atypical facial pain, still lack proper diagnostic criteria, and their etiology is not known. The recent development of neurophysiological methods and quantitative sensory testing for the examination of the trigeminal somatosensory system offers several tools for diagnostic and etiological investigation of orofacial pain. This review presents some of these techniques and the results of their application in studies on orofacial pain and sensory dysfunction. Clinical neurophysiological investigation has greater diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity than clinical examination in the detection of the neurogenic abnormalities of either peripheral or central origin that may underlie symptoms of orofacial pain and sensory dysfunction. Neurophysiological testing may also reveal trigeminal pathology when magnetic resonance imaging has failed to detect it, so these methods should be considered complementary to each other in the investigation of orofacial pain patients. The blink reflex, corneal reflex, jaw jerk, sensory neurography of the inferior alveolar nerve, and the recording of trigeminal somatosensory-evoked potentials with near-nerve stimulation have all proved to be sensitive and reliable in the detection of dysfunction of the myelinated sensory fibers of the trigeminal nerve or its central connections within the brainstem. With appropriately small thermodes, thermal quantitative sensory testing is useful for the detection of trigeminal small-fiber dysfunction (Adelta and C). In neuropathic conditions, it is most sensitive to lesions causing axonal injury. By combining different techniques for investigation of the trigeminal system, an accurate topographical diagnosis and profile of sensory fiber pathology can be determined. Neurophysiological and quantitative sensory tests have already highlighted some similarities among various orofacial pain conditions and have shown heterogeneity within clinical diagnostic categories. With the aid of neurophysiological recordings and quantitative sensory testing, it is possible to approach a mechanism-based classification of orofacial pain.

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterka, Robert J.; Black, F. Owen

1988-01-01

Previous experiments with moving platform posturography have shown that different people have varying abilities to resolve conflicts among vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive sensory signals used to control upright posture. In particular, there is one class of subjects with a vestibular disorder known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) who often are particularly sensitive to inaccurate visual information. That is, they will use visual sensory information for the control of their posture even when that visual information is inaccurate and is in conflict with accurate proprioceptive and vestibular sensory signals. BPPV has been associated with disorders of both posterior semicircular canal function and possibly otolith function. The present proposal hopes to take advantage of the similarities between the space motion sickness problem and the sensory orientation reference selection problems associated with the BPPV syndrome. These similarities include both etiology related to abnormal vertical canal-otolith function, and motion sickness initiating events provoked by pitch and roll head movements. The objectives of this proposal are to explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation of this selection to motion sickness in humans.

Cerebro-cerebellar Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Khan, Amanda J; Nair, Aarti; Keown, Christopher L; Datko, Michael C; Lincoln, Alan J; Müller, Ralph-Axel

2015-11-01

The cerebellum plays important roles in sensori-motor and supramodal cognitive functions. Cellular, volumetric, and functional abnormalities of the cerebellum have been found in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but no comprehensive investigation of cerebro-cerebellar connectivity in ASD is available. We used resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging in 56 children and adolescents (28 subjects with ASD, 28 typically developing subjects) 8-17 years old. Partial and total correlation analyses were performed for unilateral regions of interest (ROIs), distinguished in two broad domains as sensori-motor (premotor/primary motor, somatosensory, superior temporal, and occipital) and supramodal (prefrontal, posterior parietal, and inferior and middle temporal). There were three main findings: 1) Total correlation analyses showed predominant cerebro-cerebellar functional overconnectivity in the ASD group; 2) partial correlation analyses that emphasized domain specificity (sensori-motor vs. supramodal) indicated a pattern of robustly increased connectivity in the ASD group (compared with the typically developing group) for sensori-motor ROIs but predominantly reduced connectivity for supramodal ROIs; and 3) this atypical pattern of connectivity was supported by significantly increased noncanonical connections (between sensori-motor cerebral and supramodal cerebellar ROIs and vice versa) in the ASD group. Our findings indicate that sensori-motor intrinsic functional connectivity is atypically increased in ASD, at the expense of connectivity supporting cerebellar participation in supramodal cognition. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expectations Do Not Alter Early Sensory Processing during Perceptual Decision-Making.

PubMed

Rungratsameetaweemana, Nuttida; Itthipuripat, Sirawaj; Salazar, Annalisa; Serences, John T

2018-06-13

Two factors play important roles in shaping perception: the allocation of selective attention to behaviorally relevant sensory features, and prior expectations about regularities in the environment. Signal detection theory proposes distinct roles of attention and expectation on decision-making such that attention modulates early sensory processing, whereas expectation influences the selection and execution of motor responses. Challenging this classic framework, recent studies suggest that expectations about sensory regularities enhance the encoding and accumulation of sensory evidence during decision-making. However, it is possible, that these findings reflect well documented attentional modulations in visual cortex. Here, we tested this framework in a group of male and female human participants by examining how expectations about stimulus features (orientation and color) and expectations about motor responses impacted electroencephalography (EEG) markers of early sensory processing and the accumulation of sensory evidence during decision-making (the early visual negative potential and the centro-parietal positive potential, respectively). We first demonstrate that these markers are sensitive to changes in the amount of sensory evidence in the display. Then we show, counter to recent findings, that neither marker is modulated by either feature or motor expectations, despite a robust effect of expectations on behavior. Instead, violating expectations about likely sensory features and motor responses impacts posterior alpha and frontal theta oscillations, signals thought to index overall processing time and cognitive conflict. These findings are inconsistent with recent theoretical accounts and suggest instead that expectations primarily influence decisions by modulating post-perceptual stages of information processing. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Expectations about likely features or motor responses play an important role in shaping behavior. Classic theoretical frameworks posit that expectations modulate decision-making by biasing late stages of decision-making including the selection and execution of motor responses. In contrast, recent accounts suggest that expectations also modulate decisions by improving the quality of early sensory processing. However, these effects could instead reflect the influence of selective attention. Here we examine the effect of expectations about sensory features and motor responses on a set of electroencephalography (EEG) markers that index early sensory processing and later post-perceptual processing. Counter to recent empirical results, expectations have little effect on early sensory processing but instead modulate EEG markers of time-on-task and cognitive conflict. Copyright © 2018 the authors 0270-6474/18/385632-17$15.00/0.

The prevalence of early subclinical somatic neuropathy in children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus and its association with the persistence of autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and islet antigen-2 (IA-2).

PubMed

Louraki, Maria; Katsalouli, Marina; Kanaka-Gantenbein, Christina; Kafassi, Nikolitsa; Critselis, Eleni; Kallinikou, Dimitra; Tsentidis, Charalampos; Karavanaki, Kyriaki

2016-07-01

To evaluate the prevalence of early somatic neuropathy in children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (Type 1 DM) and its association with the presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet antigen-2 autoantibodies (GADA and IA-2A). A cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital-based cohort of pediatric Type 1 DM patients (n=85, mean(±SD) age: 13.5±3.4years, mean(±SD) disease duration 5.5±3.4years). Peripheral neuropathy was assessed with nerve conduction studies (NCS). GADA and IA-2A titers were measured with radioligand assays. Among the study population, 34.1% had at least one abnormal electrophysiological parameter, although predominantly asymptomatic. The highest rates of abnormality were detected in sensory peroneal nerve (25.9%) followed by sural nerve (15.3%). Affected patients were not different in terms of age, diabetes duration or glycaemic control. Among the participants, 62.4% had positive GADA, 58.8% positive IA-2A and 42.4% double antibody positivity. Abnormal NCS correlated neither with GADA nor with IA-2A levels or positivity. However lower sensory nerve action potential in the peroneal nerve, indicative of early axonal dysfunction, was observed in patients with GADA or IA-2A positivity. Absence of both antibodies was associated with better action potentials in all the examined nerves of the lower limbs. Impaired indices of subclinical peripheral primarily sensory neuropathy were present among one third of Type 1 DM children and adolescents, with no impact of diabetes duration or glycaemic control. GADA and IA-2A seem to be involved in the development of axonal degeneration, in a pathway which remains to be identified. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Sensory profiles for dried fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars commercially grown and processed in California.

PubMed

Haug, Megan T; King, Ellena S; Heymann, Hildegarde; Crisosto, Carlos H

2013-08-01

A trained sensory panel evaluated the 6 fig cultivars currently sold in the California dried fig market. The main flavor and aroma attributes determined by the sensory panel were "caramel," "honey," "raisin," and "fig," with additional aroma attributes: "common date," "dried plum," and "molasses." Sensory differences were observed between dried fig cultivars. All figs were processed by 2 commercial handlers. Processing included potassium sorbate as a preservative and SO2 application as an antibrowning agent for white cultivars. As a consequence of SO2 use during processing, high sulfite residues affected the sensory profiles of the white dried fig cultivars. Significant differences between dried fig cultivars and sources demonstrate perceived differences between processing and storage methods. The panel-determined sensory lexicon can help with California fig marketing. © 2013 The Regents of California, Davis Campus Department of Plant Sciences.

Stability of auditory discrimination and novelty processing in physiological aging.

PubMed

Raggi, Alberto; Tasca, Domenica; Rundo, Francesco; Ferri, Raffaele

2013-01-01

Complex higher-order cognitive functions and their possible changes with aging are mandatory objectives of cognitive neuroscience. Event-related potentials (ERPs) allow investigators to probe the earliest stages of information processing. N100, Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a are auditory ERP components that reflect automatic sensory discrimination. The aim of the present study was to determine if N100, MMN and P3a parameters are stable in healthy aged subjects, compared to those of normal young adults. Normal young adults and older participants were assessed using standardized cognitive functional instruments and their ERPs were obtained with an auditory stimulation at two different interstimulus intervals, during a passive paradigm. All individuals were within the normal range on cognitive tests. No significant differences were found for any ERP parameters obtained from the two age groups. This study shows that aging is characterized by a stability of the auditory discrimination and novelty processing. This is important for the arrangement of normative for the detection of subtle preclinical changes due to abnormal brain aging.

Scents and Nonsense: Olfactory Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Turetsky, Bruce I.; Hahn, Chang-Gyu; Borgmann-Winter, Karin; Moberg, Paul J.

2009-01-01

Among the sensory modalities, olfaction is most closely associated with the frontal and temporal brain regions that are implicated in schizophrenia and most intimately related to the affective and mnemonic functions that these regions subserve. Olfactory probes may therefore be ideal tools through which to assess the structural and functional integrity of the neural substrates that underlie disease-related cognitive and emotional disturbances. Perhaps more importantly, to the extent that early sensory afferents are also disrupted in schizophrenia, the olfactory system—owing to its strategic anatomic location—may be especially vulnerable to such disruption. Olfactory dysfunction may therefore be a sensitive indicator of schizophrenia pathology and may even serve as an “early warning” sign of disease vulnerability or onset. In this article, we review the evidence supporting a primary olfactory sensory disturbance in schizophrenia. Convergent data indicate that structural and functional abnormalities extend from the cortex to the most peripheral elements of the olfactory system. These reflect, in part, a genetically mediated neurodevelopmental etiology. Gross structural and functional anomalies are mirrored by cellular and molecular abnormalities that suggest decreased or faulty innervation and/or dysregulation of intracellular signaling. A unifying mechanistic hypothesis may be the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. With the opportunity to obtain olfactory neural tissue from live patients through nasal epithelial biopsy, the peripheral olfactory system offers a uniquely accessible window through which the pathophysiological antecedents and sequelae of schizophrenia may be observed. This could help to clarify underlying brain mechanisms and facilitate identification of clinically relevant biomarkers. PMID:19793796

Can Sensory Gallery Guides for Children with Sensory Processing Challenges Improve Their Museum Experience?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Tina S.; Blake, Amanda B.; Shelffo, Kathleen E.

2018-01-01

Children routinely visit art museums as part of their educational experience and family time, many of them having special needs. The number of children diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorders is increasing. These conditions may include heightened sensory "avoiding" or "seeking" behaviors that can interfere with a…

Sensory Sensitivity and Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chistol, Liem T.; Bandini, Linda G.; Must, Aviva; Phillips, Sarah; Cermak, Sharon A.; Curtin, Carol

2018-01-01

Few studies have compared atypical sensory characteristics and food selectivity between children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared oral sensory processing between children with (n = 53) and without ASD (n = 58), ages 3-11 years. We also examined the relationships between atypical oral sensory processing, food…

Perceptual load interacts with stimulus processing across sensory modalities.

PubMed

Klemen, J; Büchel, C; Rose, M

2009-06-01

According to perceptual load theory, processing of task-irrelevant stimuli is limited by the perceptual load of a parallel attended task if both the task and the irrelevant stimuli are presented to the same sensory modality. However, it remains a matter of debate whether the same principles apply to cross-sensory perceptual load and, more generally, what form cross-sensory attentional modulation in early perceptual areas takes in humans. Here we addressed these questions using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants undertook an auditory one-back working memory task of low or high perceptual load, while concurrently viewing task-irrelevant images at one of three object visibility levels. The processing of the visual and auditory stimuli was measured in the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) and auditory cortex (AC), respectively. Cross-sensory interference with sensory processing was observed in both the LOC and AC, in accordance with previous results of unisensory perceptual load studies. The present neuroimaging results therefore warrant the extension of perceptual load theory from a unisensory to a cross-sensory context: a validation of this cross-sensory interference effect through behavioural measures would consolidate the findings.

Sensory atypicalities in dyads of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents.

PubMed

Glod, Magdalena; Riby, Deborah M; Honey, Emma; Rodgers, Jacqui

2017-03-01

Sensory atypicalities are a common feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To date, the relationship between sensory atypicalities in dyads of children with ASD and their parents has not been investigated. Exploring these relationships can contribute to an understanding of how phenotypic profiles may be inherited, and the extent to which familial factors might contribute towards children's sensory profiles and constitute an aspect of the broader autism phenotype (BAP). Parents of 44 children with ASD and 30 typically developing (TD) children, aged between 3 and 14 years, participated. Information about children's sensory experiences was collected through parent report using the Sensory Profile questionnaire. Information about parental sensory experiences was collected via self-report using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile. Parents of children with ASD had significantly higher scores than parents of TD children in relation to low registration, over responsivity, and taste/smell sensory processing. Similar levels of agreement were obtained within ASD and TD parent-child dyads on a number of sensory atypicalities; nevertheless significant correlations were found between parents and children in ASD families but not TD dyads for sensation avoiding and auditory, visual, and vestibular sensory processing. The findings suggest that there are similarities in sensory processing profiles between parents and their children in both ASD and TD dyads. Familial sensory processing factors are likely to contribute towards the BAP. Further work is needed to explore genetic and environmental influences on the developmental pathways of the sensory atypicalities in ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 531-538. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Deficits in vision and visual attention associated with motor performance of very preterm/very low birth weight children.

PubMed

Geldof, Christiaan J A; van Hus, Janeline W P; Jeukens-Visser, Martine; Nollet, Frans; Kok, Joke H; Oosterlaan, Jaap; van Wassenaer-Leemhuis, Aleid G

2016-01-01

To extend understanding of impaired motor functioning of very preterm (VP)/very low birth weight (VLBW) children by investigating its relationship with visual attention, visual and visual-motor functioning. Motor functioning (Movement Assessment Battery for Children, MABC-2; Manual Dexterity, Aiming & Catching, and Balance component), as well as visual attention (attention network and visual search tests), vision (oculomotor, visual sensory and perceptive functioning), visual-motor integration (Beery Visual Motor Integration), and neurological status (Touwen examination) were comprehensively assessed in a sample of 106 5.5-year-old VP/VLBW children. Stepwise linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate multivariate associations between deficits in visual attention, oculomotor, visual sensory, perceptive and visual-motor integration functioning, abnormal neurological status, neonatal risk factors, and MABC-2 scores. Abnormal MABC-2 Total or component scores occurred in 23-36% of VP/VLBW children. Visual and visual-motor functioning accounted for 9-11% of variance in MABC-2 Total, Manual Dexterity and Balance scores. Visual perceptive deficits only were associated with Aiming & Catching. Abnormal neurological status accounted for an additional 19-30% of variance in MABC-2 Total, Manual Dexterity and Balance scores, and 5% of variance in Aiming & Catching, and neonatal risk factors for 3-6% of variance in MABC-2 Total, Manual Dexterity and Balance scores. Motor functioning is weakly associated with visual and visual-motor integration deficits and moderately associated with abnormal neurological status, indicating that motor performance reflects long term vulnerability following very preterm birth, and that visual deficits are of minor importance in understanding motor functioning of VP/VLBW children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feedforward and Feedback Motor Control Abnormalities Implicate Cerebellar Dysfunctions in Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Mohanty, Suman; Greene, Rachel K.; Cook, Edwin H.; Vaillancourt, David E.; Sweeney, John A.

2015-01-01

Sensorimotor abnormalities are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and among the earliest manifestations of the disorder. They have been studied far less than the social-communication and cognitive deficits that define ASD, but a mechanistic understanding of sensorimotor abnormalities in ASD may provide key insights into the neural underpinnings of the disorder. In this human study, we examined rapid, precision grip force contractions to determine whether feedforward mechanisms supporting initial motor output before sensory feedback can be processed are disrupted in ASD. Sustained force contractions also were examined to determine whether reactive adjustments to ongoing motor behavior based on visual feedback are altered. Sustained force was studied across multiple force levels and visual gains to assess motor and visuomotor mechanisms, respectively. Primary force contractions of individuals with ASD showed greater peak rate of force increases and large transient overshoots. Individuals with ASD also showed increased sustained force variability that scaled with force level and was more severe when visual gain was highly amplified or highly degraded. When sustaining a constant force level, their reactive adjustments were more periodic than controls, and they showed increased reliance on slower feedback mechanisms. Feedforward and feedback mechanism alterations each were associated with more severe social-communication impairments in ASD. These findings implicate anterior cerebellar circuits involved in feedforward motor control and posterior cerebellar circuits involved in transforming visual feedback into precise motor adjustments in ASD. PMID:25653359

Medio-lateral postural instability in subjects with tinnitus.

PubMed

Kapoula, Zoi; Yang, Qing; Lê, Thanh-Thuan; Vernet, Marine; Berbey, Nolwenn; Orssaud, Christophe; Londero, Alain; Bonfils, Pierre

2011-01-01

Many patients show modulation of tinnitus by gaze, jaw or neck movements, reflecting abnormal sensorimotor integration, and interaction between various inputs. Postural control is based on multi-sensory integration (visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and oculomotor) and indeed there is now evidence that posture can also be influenced by sound. Perhaps tinnitus influences posture similarly to external sound. This study examines the quality of postural performance in quiet stance in patients with modulated tinnitus. Twenty-three patients with highly modulated tinnitus were selected in the ENT service. Twelve reported exclusively or predominately left tinnitus, eight right, and three bilateral. Eighteen control subjects were also tested. Subjects were asked to fixate a target at 40 cm for 51 s; posturography was performed with the platform (Technoconcept, 40 Hz) for both the eyes open and eyes closed conditions. For both conditions, tinnitus subjects showed abnormally high lateral body sway (SDx). This was corroborated by fast Fourrier Transformation (FFTx) and wavelet analysis. For patients with left tinnitus only, medio-lateral sway increased significantly when looking away from the center. Similarly to external sound stimulation, tinnitus could influence lateral sway by activating attention shift, and perhaps vestibular responses. Poor integration of sensorimotor signals is another possibility. Such abnormalities would be accentuated in left tinnitus because of the importance of the right cerebral cortex in processing both auditory-tinnitus eye position and attention.

Sensory reactivity, empathizing and systemizing in autism spectrum conditions and sensory processing disorder.

PubMed

Tavassoli, Teresa; Miller, Lucy Jane; Schoen, Sarah A; Jo Brout, Jennifer; Sullivan, Jillian; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2018-01-01

Although the DSM-5 added sensory symptoms as a criterion for ASC, there is a group of children who display sensory symptoms but do not have ASC; children with sensory processing disorder (SPD). To be able to differentiate these two disorders, our aim was to evaluate whether children with ASC show more sensory symptomatology and/or different cognitive styles in empathy and systemizing compared to children with SPD and typically developing (TD) children. The study included 210 participants: 68 children with ASC, 79 with SPD and 63 TD children. The Sensory Processing Scale Inventory was used to measure sensory symptoms, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) to measure autistic traits, and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ) to measure cognitive styles. Across groups, a greater sensory symptomatology was associated with lower empathy. Further, both the ASC and SPD groups showed more sensory symptoms than TD children. Children with ASC and SPD only differed on sensory under-reactivity. The ASD group did, however, show lower empathy and higher systemizing scores than the SPD group. Together, this suggest that sensory symptoms alone may not be adequate to differentiate children with ASC and SPD but that cognitive style measures could be used for differential diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Reduced Chrna7 expression in mice is associated with decreases in hippocampal markers of inhibitory function: implications for neuropsychiatric diseases.

PubMed

Adams, C E; Yonchek, J C; Schulz, K M; Graw, S L; Stitzel, J; Teschke, P U; Stevens, K E

2012-04-05

The α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor encoded by CHRNA7 (human)/Chrna7 (mice) regulates the release of both the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the hippocampal formation. A heterozygous (Het) deletion at 15q13.3 containing CHRNA7 is associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. Each of these diseases are characterized by abnormalities in excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal circuit function. Reduced Chrna7 expression results in decreased hippocampal α7* receptor density, abnormal hippocampal auditory sensory processing, and increased hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neuron activity in C3H mice Het for a null mutation in Chrna7. These abnormalities demonstrate that decreased Chrna7 expression alters hippocampal inhibitory circuit function. The current study examined the specific impact of reduced Chrna7 expression on hippocampal inhibitory circuits by measuring the levels of GABA, GABA(A) receptors, the GABA synthetic enzyme l-glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 (GAD-65), and the vesicular GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) in wild-type (Chrna7 +/+) and Het (Chrna7 +/-) C3H α7 mice of both genders. GAD-65 levels were significantly decreased in male and female Het C3H α7 mice, whereas GABA(A) receptors were significantly reduced only in male Het C3H α7 mice. No changes in GABA and GAT-1 levels were detected. These data suggest that reduced CHRNA7 expression may contribute to the abnormalities in hippocampal inhibitory circuits observed in schizophrenia, autism, and/or epilepsy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Reduced Chrna7 expression in mice is associated with decreases in hippocampal markers of inhibitory function: implications for neuropsychiatric diseases

PubMed Central

Adams, Catherine E.; Yonchek, Joan C.; Schulz, Kalynn M.; Graw, Sharon L.; Stitzel, Jerry; Teschke, Patricia U.; Stevens, Karen E.

2012-01-01

The α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor encoded by CHRNA7 (human)/Chrna7 (mice) regulates the release of both the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in the hippocampal formation. A heterozygous deletion at 15q13.3 containing CHRNA7 is associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy. Each of these diseases is characterized by abnormalities in excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal circuit function. Reduced Chrna7 expression results in decreased hippocampal α7* receptor density, abnormal hippocampal auditory sensory processing and increased hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neuron activity in C3H mice heterozygous for a null mutation in Chrna7. These abnormalities demonstrate that decreased Chrna7 expression alters hippocampal inhibitory circuit function. The current study examined the specific impact of reduced Chrna7 expression on hippocampal inhibitory circuits by measuring the levels of GABA, GABAA receptors, the GABA synthetic enzyme glutamate decarboxylase-65 (GAD-65) and the vesicular GABA transporter GAT-1 in wild type (Chrna7 +/+) and heterozygous (Chrna7 +/−) C3H α7 mice of both genders. GAD-65 levels were significantly decreased in male and female heterozygous C3H α7 mice while GABAA receptors were significantly reduced only in male heterozygous C3H α7 mice. No changes in GABA and GAT-1 levels were detected. These data suggest that reduced CHRNA7 expression may contribute to the abnormalities in hippocampal inhibitory circuits observed in schizophrenia, autism and/or epilepsy. PMID:22314319

Restoration of Trigeminal Cutaneous Sensation with Cross-Face Sural Nerve Grafts: A Novel Approach to Facial Sensory Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Catapano, Joseph; Scholl, David; Ho, Emily; Zuker, Ronald M; Borschel, Gregory H

2015-09-01

Although treating facial palsy is considered debilitating for patients, trigeminal nerve palsy and sensory deficits of the face are overlooked components of disability. Complete anesthesia leaves patients susceptible to occult injury, and facial sensation is an important component of interaction and activities of daily living. Sensory reconstruction is well established in the restoration of hand sensation; however, only one previous report proposed a surgical strategy for sensory nerve reconstruction of the face with use of nerve transfers. Nerve transfers, when used alone, have limited application because of their restricted arc of rotation in the face; extending their arc by adding nerve grafts greatly expands their utility. The following cases demonstrate the early results after V2 and V3 reconstruction with cross-face nerve grafts in three patients with acquired trigeminal nerve palsy. Cross-face nerve grafts using the sural nerve permit more proximal reconstruction of the infraorbital and mental nerves, which allows reinnervation of their entire cutaneous distribution. All patients demonstrated improved sensation in the reconstructed dermatomes, and no patients reported donor-site abnormalities. Cross-face nerve grafts result in minimal donor-site morbidity and are promising as a surgical strategy to address sensory deficits of the face. Therapeutic, V.

The relationship between health related quality of life and sensory deficits among patients with diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Darawsha Najjar, Sanaa; Darawsha, Mahmud

2017-08-13

(1) To profile sensory deficits examined in the ability to process sensory information from daily environment and discriminate between tactile stimuli among patients with controlled and un-controlled diabetes mellitus. (2) Examine the relationship between the sensory deficits and patients' health-related quality of life. This study included 115 participants aged 33-55 with uncontrolled (n = 22) or controlled (n = 24) glycemic levels together with healthy subjects (n = 69). All participants completed the brief World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and performed the tactile discrimination test. Sensory deficits were more emphasized among patients with uncontrolled glycemic levels as expressed in difficulties to register sensory input, lower sensation seeking in daily environments and difficulties to discriminate between tactile stimuli. They also reported the lowest physical and social quality of life as compared to the other two groups. Better sensory seeking and registration predicted better quality of life. Disease control and duration contributed to these predictions. Difficulties in processing sensory information from their daily environments are particularly prevalent among patients with uncontrolled glycemic levels, and significantly impacted their quality of life. Clinicians should screen for sensory processing difficulties among patients with diabetes mellitus and understand their impacts on patients' quality of life. Implications for Rehabilitation Patients with diabetes mellitus, and particularly those with uncontrolled glycemic levels, may have difficulties in processing sensory information from daily environment. A multidisciplinary intervention approach is recommended: clinicians should screen for sensory processing deficits among patients with diabetes mellitus and understand their impacts on patients' daily life. By providing the patients with environmental adaptations and coping strategies, clinicians may assist in optimizing sensory experiences in real life context and elevate patients' quality of life. Relating to quality of life and emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach is of major importance in broadening our understanding of health conditions and providing holistic treatment for patients.

Brn3a/Pou4f1 Regulates Dorsal Root Ganglion Sensory Neuron Specification and Axonal Projection into the Spinal Cord

PubMed Central

Zou, Min; Li, Shengguo; Klein, William H.; Xiang, Mengqing

2012-01-01

The sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) must project accurately to their central targets to convey proprioceptive, nociceptive and mechanoreceptive information to the spinal cord. How these different sensory modalities and central connectivities are specified and coordinated still remains unclear. Given the expression of the POU homeodomain transcription factors Brn3a/Pou4f1 and Brn3b/Pou4f2 in DRG and spinal cord sensory neurons, we determined the subtype specification of DRG and spinal cord sensory neurons as well as DRG central projections in Brn3a and Brn3b single and double mutant mice. Inactivation of either or both genes causes no gross abnormalities in early spinal cord neurogenesis; however, in Brn3a single and Brn3a;Brn3b double mutant mice, sensory afferent axons from the DRG fail to form normal trajectories in the spinal cord. The TrkA+ afferents remain outside the dorsal horn and fail to extend into the spinal cord, while the projections of TrkC+ proprioceptive afferents into the ventral horn are also impaired. Moreover, Brn3a mutant DRGs are defective in sensory neuron specification, as marked by the excessive generation of TrkB+ and TrkC+ neurons as well as TrkA+/TrkB+ and TrkA+/TrkC+ double positive cells at early embryonic stages. At later stages in the mutant, TrkB+, TrkC+ and parvalbumin+ neurons diminish while there is a significant increase of CGRP+ and c-ret+ neurons. In addition, Brn3a mutant DRGs display a dramatic down-regulation of Runx1 expression, suggesting that the regulation of DRG sensory neuron specification by Brn3a is mediated in part by Runx1. Our results together demonstrate a critical role for Brn3a in generating DRG sensory neuron diversity and regulating sensory afferent projections to the central targets. PMID:22326227

Listening to Another Sense: Somatosensory Integration in the Auditory System

PubMed Central

Wu, Calvin; Stefanescu, Roxana A.; Martel, David T.

2014-01-01

Conventionally, sensory systems are viewed as separate entities, each with its own physiological process serving a different purpose. However, many functions require integrative inputs from multiple sensory systems, and sensory intersection and convergence occur throughout the central nervous system. The neural processes for hearing perception undergo significant modulation by the two other major sensory systems, vision and somatosensation. This synthesis occurs at every level of the ascending auditory pathway: the cochlear nucleus, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body, and the auditory cortex. In this review, we explore the process of multisensory integration from 1) anatomical (inputs and connections), 2) physiological (cellular responses), 3) functional, and 4) pathological aspects. We focus on the convergence between auditory and somatosensory inputs in each ascending auditory station. This review highlights the intricacy of sensory processing, and offers a multisensory perspective regarding the understanding of sensory disorders. PMID:25526698

Comparing and Exploring the Sensory Processing Patterns of Higher Education Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Clince, Maria; Connolly, Laura; Nolan, Clodagh

2016-01-01

Research regarding sensory processing and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited. This study aimed to compare sensory processing patterns of groups of higher education students with ADHD or ASD and to explore the implications of these disorders for their college life. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile was administered to 28 students with ADHD and 27 students with ASD. Students and professionals were interviewed. The majority of students received scores that differed from those of the general population. Students with ADHD received significantly higher scores than students with ASD in relation to sensation seeking; however, there were no other major differences. Few differences exist between the sensory processing patterns of students with ADHD and ASD; however, both groups differ significantly from the general population. Occupational therapists should consider sensory processing patterns when designing supports for these groups. Copyright © 2016 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Adaptation to sensory input tunes visual cortex to criticality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shew, Woodrow L.; Clawson, Wesley P.; Pobst, Jeff; Karimipanah, Yahya; Wright, Nathaniel C.; Wessel, Ralf

2015-08-01

A long-standing hypothesis at the interface of physics and neuroscience is that neural networks self-organize to the critical point of a phase transition, thereby optimizing aspects of sensory information processing. This idea is partially supported by strong evidence for critical dynamics observed in the cerebral cortex, but the impact of sensory input on these dynamics is largely unknown. Thus, the foundations of this hypothesis--the self-organization process and how it manifests during strong sensory input--remain unstudied experimentally. Here we show in visual cortex and in a computational model that strong sensory input initially elicits cortical network dynamics that are not critical, but adaptive changes in the network rapidly tune the system to criticality. This conclusion is based on observations of multifaceted scaling laws predicted to occur at criticality. Our findings establish sensory adaptation as a self-organizing mechanism that maintains criticality in visual cortex during sensory information processing.

SENSORY PROCESSING DURING CHILDHOOD IN PRETERM INFANTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

PubMed

Machado, Ana Carolina Cabral de Paula; Oliveira, Suelen Rosa de; Magalhães, Lívia de Castro; Miranda, Débora Marques de; Bouzada, Maria Cândida Ferrarez

2017-01-01

To conduct a systematic search for grounded and quality evidence of sensory processing in preterm infants during childhood. The search of the available literature on the theme was held in the following electronic databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline)/PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs)/Virtual Library in Health (BVS), Índice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud (IBECS)/BVS, Scopus, and Web of Science. We included only original indexed studies with a quantitative approach, which were available in full text on digital media, published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish between 2005 and 2015, involving children aged 0-9years. 581 articles were identified and eight were included. Six studies (75%) found high frequency of dysfunction in sensory processing in preterm infants. The association of sensory processing with developmental outcomes was observed in three studies (37.5%). The association of sensory processing with neonatal characteristics was observed in five studies (62.5%), and the sensory processing results are often associated with gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions. The current literature suggests that preterm birth affects the sensory processing, negatively. Gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions appear as risk factors for sensoryprocessing disorders in preterm infants. The impairment in the ability to receivesensory inputs, to integrateand to adapt to them seems to have a negative effect on motor, cognitive, and language development of these children. We highlight the feasibility of identifying sensory processing disorders early in life, favoring early clinical interventions.

SENSORY PROCESSING DURING CHILDHOOD IN PRETERM INFANTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

PubMed Central

Machado, Ana Carolina Cabral de Paula; de Oliveira, Suelen Rosa; Magalhães, Lívia de Castro; de Miranda, Débora Marques; Bouzada, Maria Cândida Ferrarez

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: To conduct a systematic search for grounded and quality evidence of sensory processing in preterm infants during childhood. Data source: The search of the available literature on the theme was held in the following electronic databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline)/PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs)/Virtual Library in Health (BVS), Índice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud (IBECS)/BVS, Scopus, and Web of Science. We included only original indexed studies with a quantitative approach, which were available in full text on digital media, published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish between 2005 and 2015, involving children aged 0-9years. Data synthesis: 581 articles were identified and eight were included. Six studies (75%) found high frequency of dysfunction in sensory processing in preterm infants. The association of sensory processing with developmental outcomes was observed in three studies (37.5%). The association of sensory processing with neonatal characteristics was observed in five studies (62.5%), and the sensory processing results are often associated with gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions. Conclusions: The current literature suggests that preterm birth affects the sensory processing, negatively. Gestational age, male gender, and white matter lesions appear as risk factors for sensoryprocessing disorders in preterm infants. The impairment in the ability to receivesensory inputs, to integrateand to adapt to them seems to have a negative effect on motor, cognitive, and language development of these children. We highlight the feasibility of identifying sensory processing disorders early in life, favoring early clinical interventions. PMID:28977307

Sensory perception in autism.

PubMed

Robertson, Caroline E; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2017-11-01

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition, and little is known about its neurobiology. Much of autism research has focused on the social, communication and cognitive difficulties associated with the condition. However, the recent revision of the diagnostic criteria for autism has brought another key domain of autistic experience into focus: sensory processing. Here, we review the properties of sensory processing in autism and discuss recent computational and neurobiological insights arising from attention to these behaviours. We argue that sensory traits have important implications for the development of animal and computational models of the condition. Finally, we consider how difficulties in sensory processing may relate to the other domains of behaviour that characterize autism.

The influence of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and sensory processing patterns on occupational engagement: a case study.

PubMed

Champagne, Tina

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief overview of how Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, and Sensory Processing patterns influence occupational engagement, including work performance. Interventions and outcomes of the Sensory Modulation Program and approaches from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) are reviewed through single case exploration with a 42 year-old woman in outpatient services. The marked increase in occupational engagement and improved work performance in this single case review demonstrates the need for more research on the use of the Sensory Modulation Program and approaches from CBT with populations with PTSD, Depression, and Sensory Processing disorder.

The Applicability of the Short Sensory Profile for Screening Sensory Processing Disorders among Israeli Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel-Yeger, Batya

2010-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the applicability of the short sensory profile (SSP) for screening sensory processing disorders (SPDs) among typical children in Israel, and to evaluate the relationship between SPDs and socio-demographic parameters. Participants were 395 Israeli children, aged 3 years to 10 years 11 months, with typical…

Head sensory organs of Dactylopodola baltica (Macrodasyida, Gastrotricha): a combination of transmission electron microscopical and immunocytochemical techniques.

PubMed

Liesenjohann, Thilo; Neuhaus, Birger; Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas

2006-08-01

The anterior and posterior head sensory organs of Dactylopodola baltica (Macrodasyida, Gastrotricha) were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, whole individuals were labeled with phalloidin to mark F-actin and with anti-alpha-tubulin antibodies to mark microtubuli and studied with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Immunocytochemistry reveals that the large number of ciliary processes in the anterior head sensory organ contain F-actin; no signal could be detected for alpha-tubulin. Labeling with anti-alpha-tubulin antibodies revealed that the anterior and posterior head sensory organs are innervated by a common stem of nerves from the lateral nerve cords just anterior of the dorsal brain commissure. TEM studies showed that the anterior head sensory organ is composed of one sheath cell and one sensory cell with a single branching cilium that possesses a basal inflated part and regularly arranged ciliary processes. Each ciliary process contains one central microtubule. The posterior head sensory organ consists of at least one pigmented sheath cell and several probably monociliary sensory cells. Each cilium branches into irregularly arranged ciliary processes. These characters are assumed to belong to the ground pattern of the Gastrotricha. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Effects of Sensory Processing and Behavior of Toddlers on Parent Participation: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DaLomba, Elaina; Baxter, Mary Frances; Fingerhut, Patricia; O'Donnell, Anne

2017-01-01

Occupational therapists treat children with sensory processing and behavioral concerns, however, little information exists on how these issues affect parent participation. This pilot study examined the sensory processing and behaviors of toddlers with developmental delays and correlated these with parents' perceived ability to participate in…

Functionally Approached Body (FAB) Strategies for Young Children Who Have Behavioral and Sensory Processing Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagano, John

2005-01-01

Functionally Approached Body (FAB) Strategies offer a clinical approach to help parents of young children with behavioral and sensory processing strategies. This article introduces the FAB Strategies, clinical strategies developed by the author for understanding and addressing young children's behavioral and sensory processing challenges. The FAB…

Research Forum on Changes in Sensory Perception in Middle-Aged Adults: A Summary of a Special Session at Hearing Across the Lifespan (HEAL) 2014.

PubMed

Humes, Larry E

2015-06-01

The purpose of this article is to introduce the special research forum on sensory-processing changes in middle-aged adults. This is a brief written introduction to the special session, which included five presentations, each emphasizing a slightly different aspect of sensory perception. The effects of aging on sensory processing, including auditory processing and speech perception, are not confined to older adults but begin in middle age in many cases.

Early electrophysiological findings in acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome in the Pakistani population - a comparison with global data.

PubMed

Wali, Ahmad; Kanwar, Dureshahwar; Khan, Safoora A; Khan, Sara

2017-12-01

Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) and acute motor axonal neuropathy are the most common variants of Guillian-Barre syndrome documented in the Asian population. However, the variability of early neurophysiologic findings in the Asian population compared to western data has not been documented. Eighty-seven cases of AIDP were retrospectively reviewed for their demographic, clinical, electrophysiological, and laboratory data. Mean age of subjects was 31 ± 8 years with males more commonly affected. Motor symptoms (97%) at presentation predominated. Common early nerve conduction findings included low motor amplitudes (85%), recordable sural sensory responses (85%), and absent H-reflex responses (65%). Prolonged F-latencies were found most commonly in posterior tibial nerves (23%) in the lower limbs and median and ulnar nerves (18%) in the upper limbs. Blink reflex (BR) studies were performed in 57 patients and were abnormal in 80% of those with clinical facial weakness and in 17 of 52 patients (33%) with no clinical cranial nerve signs, suggesting subclinical cranial nerve involvement. Abnormal motor and sensory amplitudes are seen early. Prolonged distal latencies, temporal dispersion/conduction blocks and sural sparing pattern are other common early nerve conduction study findings of AIDP seen in the Pakistani population. There are no significant differences in abnormalities of conduction velocities and delayed reflex responses compared to published data. The BR can help in the early diagnosis of AIDP. © 2017 Peripheral Nerve Society.

Tonotopic alterations in inhibitory input to the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome.

PubMed

McCullagh, Elizabeth A; Salcedo, Ernesto; Huntsman, Molly M; Klug, Achim

2017-11-01

Hyperexcitability and the imbalance of excitation/inhibition are one of the leading causes of abnormal sensory processing in Fragile X syndrome (FXS). The precise timing and distribution of excitation and inhibition is crucial for auditory processing at the level of the auditory brainstem, which is responsible for sound localization ability. Sound localization is one of the sensory abilities disrupted by loss of the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene. Using triple immunofluorescence staining we tested whether there were alterations in the number and size of presynaptic structures for the three primary neurotransmitters (glutamate, glycine, and GABA) in the auditory brainstem of Fmr1 knockout mice. We found decreases in either glycinergic or GABAergic inhibition to the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) specific to the tonotopic location within the nucleus. MNTB is one of the primary inhibitory nuclei in the auditory brainstem and participates in the sound localization process with fast and well-timed inhibition. Thus, a decrease in inhibitory afferents to MNTB neurons should lead to greater inhibitory output to the projections from this nucleus. In contrast, we did not see any other significant alterations in balance of excitation/inhibition in any of the other auditory brainstem nuclei measured, suggesting that the alterations observed in the MNTB are both nucleus and frequency specific. We furthermore show that glycinergic inhibition may be an important contributor to imbalances in excitation and inhibition in FXS and that the auditory brainstem is a useful circuit for testing these imbalances. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A SOMATIC-MARKER THEORY OF ADDICTION

PubMed Central

Verdejo-García, Antonio; Bechara, Antoine

2009-01-01

Similar to patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC) lesions, substance abusers show altered decision-making, characterized by a tendency to choose the immediate reward, at the expense of negative future consequences. The somatic-marker model proposes that decision-making depends on neural substrates that regulate homeostasis, emotion and feeling. According to this model, there should be a link between alterations in processing emotions in substance abusers, and their impairments in decision-making. A growing evidence from neuroscientific studies indicate that core aspects of addiction may be explained in terms of abnormal emotional/homeostatic guidance of decision-making. Behavioural studies have revealed emotional processing and decision-making deficits in substance abusers. Neuroimaging studies have shown that altered decision-making in addiction is associated with abnormal functioning of a distributed neural network critical for the processing of emotional information, and the experience of “craving”, including the VMPC, the amygdala, the striatum, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the insular/somato-sensory cortices, as well as non-specific neurotransmitter systems that modulate activities of neural processes involved in decision-making. The aim of this paper is to review this growing evidence, and to examine the extent of which these studies support a somatic-marker theory of addiction. We conclude that there are at least two underlying types of dysfunctions where emotional signals (somatic-markers) turns in favor of immediate outcomes in addiction: (1) a hyperactivity in the amygdala or impulsive system, which exaggerates the rewarding impact of available incentives, and (2) hypoactivity in the prefrontal cortex or reflective system, which forecasts the long-term consequences of a given action. PMID:18722390

Auditory processing assessment suggests that Wistar audiogenic rat neural networks are prone to entrainment.

PubMed

Pinto, Hyorrana Priscila Pereira; Carvalho, Vinícius Rezende; Medeiros, Daniel de Castro; Almeida, Ana Flávia Santos; Mendes, Eduardo Mazoni Andrade Marçal; Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra

2017-04-07

Epilepsy is a neurological disease related to the occurrence of pathological oscillatory activity, but the basic physiological mechanisms of seizure remain to be understood. Our working hypothesis is that specific sensory processing circuits may present abnormally enhanced predisposition for coordinated firing in the dysfunctional brain. Such facilitated entrainment could share a similar mechanistic process as those expediting the propagation of epileptiform activity throughout the brain. To test this hypothesis, we employed the Wistar audiogenic rat (WAR) reflex animal model, which is characterized by having seizures triggered reliably by sound. Sound stimulation was modulated in amplitude to produce an auditory steady-state-evoked response (ASSR; -53.71Hz) that covers bottom-up and top-down processing in a time scale compatible with the dynamics of the epileptic condition. Data from inferior colliculus (IC) c-Fos immunohistochemistry and electrographic recordings were gathered for both the control Wistar group and WARs. Under 85-dB SLP auditory stimulation, compared to controls, the WARs presented higher number of Fos-positive cells (at IC and auditory temporal lobe) and a significant increase in ASSR-normalized energy. Similarly, the 110-dB SLP sound stimulation also statistically increased ASSR-normalized energy during ictal and post-ictal periods. However, at the transition from the physiological to pathological state (pre-ictal period), the WAR ASSR analysis demonstrated a decline in normalized energy and a significant increase in circular variance values compared to that of controls. These results indicate an enhanced coordinated firing state for WARs, except immediately before seizure onset (suggesting pre-ictal neuronal desynchronization with external sensory drive). These results suggest a competing myriad of interferences among different networks that after seizure onset converge to a massive oscillatory circuit. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A model and treatment for autism at the convergence of Chinese medicine and Western science: first 130 cases.

PubMed

Silva, Louisa M T; Schalock, Mark; Ayres, Robert

2011-06-01

To present a model for autism showing that impairment of sensory and self-regulation is the core deficit that underlies delays in social/language skills and abnormal behavior in autism; and to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment for autism based on Chinese medicine. Children with autism under 6 years of age were assigned to treatment or wait-list conditions. A total of 130 children were treated and the results compared with 45 wait-list controls. Treatment is a tuina methodology directed at sensory impairment--Kai Qiao Tuina. The treatment was a five-month protocol that was implemented daily by trained parents via trained support staff. The effects of treatment on the main symptoms, autistic behavior, social/language delay, sensory and self-regulatory impairment, as well as on parenting stress, were observed and compared. The treatment had a large effect size (P<0.0001) on measures of sensory and self-regulation. The evaluations done by pre-school teachers demonstrated improvement in the measures of autism (P<0.003), and were confirmed by evaluations done by parents (P<0.0001). There was a large decrease (P<0.0001) in parenting stress. Sensory and self-regulatory impairment is a main factor in the development and severity of autism. Treatment of young children with autism with Kai Qiao Tuina resulted in a decrease in sensory and self-regulatory impairment and a reduction in severity of measures of autism.

Effects of a sensory-motor orthotic on postural instability rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

PubMed

Volpe, Daniele; Pelosin, Elisa; Bakdounes, Leila; Masiero, Stefano; Bertagnoni, Giannettore; Sorbera, Chiara; Giantin, Maria Giulia

2017-01-01

Proprioceptive deficits have been largely documented in PD patients, thus external sensory signals (peripheral sensory feedback) are often used to compensate the abnormalities of proprioceptive integration. This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility and the effectiveness of a rehabilitation-training program, combined with the use of a sensory-motor orthotic in improving balance in a small sample of PD patients. Twenty PD patients were randomly allocated into two groups: (i) the Experimental group , where participants were asked to wear a sensory-motor orthotic during the balance training program and (ii) the Control group , where subjects performed an identical training program without wearing any kind of orthotics. In all, the training program lasted 10 sessions (5 days a week for 2 weeks) and the clinical and instrumental assessments were performed at baseline, immediately after the end of the training and 4 weeks after the rehabilitative program was stopped. All clinical outcome measures tested improved significantly at post and follow-up evaluations in both groups. Interestingly, at the end of the training, only the experimental group obtained a significant improvement in the functional reaching test (sway area - eyes closed) measured by means of stabilometric platform and this result was maintained in the follow-up evaluation. Our preliminary results suggested that the use of a sensory-motor orthotic, in combination with a tailored balance training, is feasible and it seems to positively impact on balance performance in Parkinson's disease. EudraCT N. 003020-36 - 2013.

Enhancement of oscillatory activity in the endopiriform nucleus of rats raised under abnormal oral conditions.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Hiroshi; Hasumoto-Honjo, Miho; Sugai, Tokio; Segami, Natsuki; Kato, Nobuo

2014-02-21

Endopiriform nucleus (EPN) is located deep to the piriform cortex, and has neural connections with not only neighboring sensory areas but also subcortical areas where emotional and nociceptive information is processed. Well-balanced oral condition might play an important role in stability of brain activities. When the oral condition is impaired, several areas in the brain might be affected. In the present study, we investigated whether abnormal conditions of oral region influence neural activities in the EPN. Orthodontic appliance that generates continuous force and chronic pain-related stress was fixed to maxillary incisors of rats, and raised. Field potential recordings were made from the EPN of brain slices. We previously reported that the EPN has an ability to generate membrane potential oscillation. In the present study, we have applied the same methods to assess activities of neuron clusters in the EPN. In the case of normal rats, stable field potential oscillations were induced in the EPN by application of low-frequency electrical stimulation under the medium with caffeine. In the case of rats with the orthodontic appliance, stable field potential oscillations were also induced, but both duration of oscillatory activities and wavelet number were increased. The enhanced oscillations were depressed by blockade of NMDA receptors. Thus, impairment of oral health under application of continuous orthodontic force and chronic pain-related stress enhanced neural activities in the EPN, in which up-regulation of NMDA receptors may be concerned. These findings suggest that the EPN might be involved in information processing with regard to abnormal conditions of oral region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensory processing in autism spectrum disorders and Fragile X syndrome—From the clinic to animal models

PubMed Central

Sinclair, D.; Oranje, B.; Razak, K.A.; Siegel, S.J.; Schmid, S.

2017-01-01

Brains are constantly flooded with sensory information that needs to be filtered at the pre-attentional level and integrated into endogenous activity in order to allow for detection of salient information and an appropriate behavioral response. People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) are often over- or under-reactive to stimulation, leading to a wide range of behavioral symptoms. This altered sensitivity may be caused by disrupted sensory processing, signal integration and/or gating, and is often being neglected. Here, we review translational experimental approaches that are used to investigate sensory processing in humans with ASD and FXS, and in relevant rodent models. This includes electroencephalographic measurement of event related potentials, neural oscillations and mismatch negativity, as well as habituation and pre-pulse inhibition of startle. We outline robust evidence of disrupted sensory processing in individuals with ASD and FXS, and in respective animal models, focusing on the auditory sensory domain. Animal models provide an excellent opportunity to examine common mechanisms of sensory pathophysiology in order to develop therapeutics. PMID:27235081

Visual perception of ADHD children with sensory processing disorder.

PubMed

Jung, Hyerim; Woo, Young Jae; Kang, Je Wook; Choi, Yeon Woo; Kim, Kyeong Mi

2014-04-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the visual perception difference between ADHD children with and without sensory processing disorder, and the relationship between sensory processing and visual perception of the children with ADHD. Participants were 47 outpatients, aged 6-8 years, diagnosed with ADHD. After excluding those who met exclusion criteria, 38 subjects were clustered into two groups, ADHD children with and without sensory processing disorder (SPD), using SSP reported by their parents, then subjects completed K-DTVP-2. Spearman correlation analysis was run to determine the relationship between sensory processing and visual perception, and Mann-Whitney-U test was conducted to compare the K-DTVP-2 score of two groups respectively. The ADHD children with SPD performed inferiorly to ADHD children without SPD in the on 3 quotients of K-DTVP-2. The GVP of K-DTVP-2 score was related to Movement Sensitivity section (r=0.368(*)) and Low Energy/Weak section of SSP (r=0.369*). The result of the present study suggests that among children with ADHD, the visual perception is lower in those children with co-morbid SPD. Also, visual perception may be related to sensory processing, especially in the reactions of vestibular and proprioceptive senses. Regarding academic performance, it is necessary to consider how sensory processing issues affect visual perception in children with ADHD.

Diminished superoxide generation is associated with respiratory chain dysfunction and changes in the mitochondrial proteome of sensory neurons from diabetic rats.

PubMed

Akude, Eli; Zherebitskaya, Elena; Chowdhury, Subir K Roy; Smith, Darrell R; Dobrowsky, Rick T; Fernyhough, Paul

2011-01-01

Impairments in mitochondrial function have been proposed to play a role in the etiology of diabetic sensory neuropathy. We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction in axons of sensory neurons in type 1 diabetes is due to abnormal activity of the respiratory chain and an altered mitochondrial proteome. Proteomic analysis using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) determined expression of proteins in mitochondria from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of control, 22-week-old streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats, and diabetic rats treated with insulin. Rates of oxygen consumption and complex activities in mitochondria from DRG were measured. Fluorescence imaging of axons of cultured sensory neurons determined the effect of diabetes on mitochondrial polarization status, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial matrix-specific reactive oxygen species (ROS). Proteins associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation, ubiquinone biosynthesis, and the citric acid cycle were downregulated in diabetic samples. For example, cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX IV; a complex IV protein) and NADH dehydrogenase Fe-S protein 3 (NDUFS3; a complex I protein) were reduced by 29 and 36% (P < 0.05), respectively, in diabetes and confirmed previous Western blot studies. Respiration and mitochondrial complex activity was significantly decreased by 15 to 32% compared with control. The axons of diabetic neurons exhibited oxidative stress and depolarized mitochondria, an aberrant adaption to oligomycin-induced mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization, but reduced levels of intramitochondrial superoxide compared with control. Abnormal mitochondrial function correlated with a downregulation of mitochondrial proteins, with components of the respiratory chain targeted in lumbar DRG in diabetes. The reduced activity of the respiratory chain was associated with diminished superoxide generation within the mitochondrial matrix and did not contribute to oxidative stress in axons of diabetic neurons. Alternative pathways involving polyol pathway activity appear to contribute to raised ROS in axons of diabetic neurons under high glucose concentration.

The Relationship between Sensory Processing Difficulties and Leisure Activity Preference of Children with Different Types of ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Ziv-On, Daniella

2011-01-01

Sensory processing difficulties (SPD) are prevalent among children with ADHD. Yet, the question whether different SPD characterize children with different types of ADHD has not received enough attention in the literature. The current study characterized sensory processing difficulties (SPD) of children with different types of ADHD and explored the…

Neurophysiological Indices of Atypical Auditory Processing and Multisensory Integration Are Associated with Symptom Severity in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandwein, Alice B.; Foxe, John J.; Butler, John S.; Frey, Hans-Peter; Bates, Juliana C.; Shulman, Lisa H.; Molholm, Sophie

2015-01-01

Atypical processing and integration of sensory inputs are hypothesized to play a role in unusual sensory reactions and social-cognitive deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reports on the relationship between objective metrics of sensory processing and clinical symptoms, however, are surprisingly sparse. Here we examined the relationship…

Evaluative procedures to detect, characterize, and assess the severity of diabetic neuropathy.

PubMed

Dyck, P J

1991-01-01

Minimal criteria for diabetic neuropathy need to be defined and universally applied. Standardized evaluative procedures need to be agreed and normal ranges determined from healthy volunteers. Types and stages of neuropathy should be established and assessments performed on representative populations of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients. Potential minimal criteria include absent ankle reflexes and vibratory sensation, and abnormalities of nerve conduction. However, the preferred criterion is the identification of more than two statistically defined abnormalities among symptoms and deficits, nerve conduction, quantitative sensory examination or quantitative autonomic examination. Various evaluative procedures are available. Symptoms should be assessed and scores can be assigned to neurological deficits. However, assessments of nerve conduction provide the most specific, objective, sensitive, and repeatable procedures, although these may be the least meaningful. Many techniques are available for quantitative sensory examination, but are poorly standardized and normal values are not available. For quantitative autonomic examination, tests are available for the adequacy of cardiovascular and peripheral vascular reflexes and increasingly for other autonomic functions. In any assessment of nerve function the conditions should be optimized and standardized, and stimuli defined. Specific instructions should be given and normal ranges established in healthy volunteers.

Intravenous Lidocaine: Old-School Drug, New Purpose—Reduction of Intractable Pain in Patients with Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

PubMed Central

van der Wal, Selina E. I.; Smedes, Lotte A.; Radema, Sandra A.; van Alfen, Nens; Steegers, Monique A. H.

2017-01-01

Background. Treatment of intractable pain due to chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a challenge. Intravenous (iv) lidocaine has shown to be a treatment option for neuropathic pain of different etiologies. Methods. Lidocaine (1.5 mg/kg in 10 minutes followed by 1.5 mg/kg/h over 5 hours) was administered in nine patients with CIPN, and analgesic effect was evaluated during infusion and after discharge. The immediate effect of lidocaine on pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and the extent of the stocking and glove distribution of sensory abnormalities (cold and pinprick) were assessed. Results. Lidocaine had a significant direct analgesic effect in 8 out of 9 patients (P = 0.01) with a pain intensity difference of >30%. Pain reduction persisted in 5 patients for an average of 23 days. Lidocaine did not influence mean PPT, but there was a tendency that the extent of sensory abnormalities decreased after lidocaine. Conclusion. Iv lidocaine has direct analgesic effect in CIPN with a moderate long-term effect and seems to influence the area of cold and pinprick perception. Additional research is needed, using a control group and larger sample sizes to confirm these results. PMID:28458593

Measuring Sensory Reactivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Application and Simplification of a Clinician-Administered Sensory Observation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavassoli, Teresa; Bellesheim, Katherine; Siper, Paige M.; Wang, A. Ting; Halpern, Danielle; Gorenstein, Michelle; Grodberg, David; Kolevzon, Alexander; Buxbaum, Joseph D.

2016-01-01

Sensory reactivity is a new DSM-5 criterion for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study aims to validate a clinician-administered sensory observation in ASD, the Sensory Processing Scale Assessment (SPS). The SPS and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) parent-report were used to measure sensory reactivity in children with ASD (n = 35) and…

Sensory Subtypes in Preschool Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Tomchek, Scott D; Little, Lauren M; Myers, John; Dunn, Winnie

2018-06-01

Given the heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research has investigated how sensory features elucidate subtypes that enhance our understanding of etiology and tailored treatment approaches. Previous studies, however, have not integrated core developmental behaviors with sensory features in investigations of subtypes in ASD. Therefore, we used latent profile analysis to examine subtypes in a preschool aged sample considering sensory processing patterns in combination with social-communication skill, motor performance, and adaptive behavior. Results showed four subtypes that differed by degree and quality of sensory features, age and differential presentation of developmental skills. Findings partially align with previous literature on sensory subtypes and extends our understanding of how sensory processing aligns with other developmental domains in young children with ASD.

15. Amygdala pain mechanisms

PubMed Central

Neugebauer, Volker

2015-01-01

A limbic brain area the amygdala plays a key role in emotional responses and affective states and disorders such as learned fear, anxiety and depression. The amygdala has also emerged as an important brain center for the emotional-affective dimension of pain and for pain modulation. Hyperactivity in the laterocapsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeLC, also termed the “nociceptive amygdala”) accounts for pain-related emotional responses and anxiety-like behavior. Abnormally enhanced output from the CeLC is the consequence of an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms. Impaired inhibitory control mediated by a cluster of GABAergic interneurons in the intercalated cell masses (ITC) allows the development of glutamate- and neuropeptide-driven synaptic plasticity of excitatory inputs from the brainstem (parabrachial area) and from the lateral-basolateral amygdala network (LA-BLA, site of integration of polymodal sensory information). BLA hyperactivity also generates abnormally enhanced feedforward inhibition of principal cells in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a limbic cortical area that is strongly interconnected with the amygdala. Pain-related mPFC deactivation results in cognitive deficits and failure to engage cortically driven ITC-mediated inhibitory control of amygdala processing. Impaired cortical control allows the uncontrolled persistence of amygdala pain mechanisms. PMID:25846623

Abnormal Pain Modulation in Patients with Spatially Distributed Chronic Pain: Fibromyalgia

PubMed Central

Staud, Roland

2009-01-01

Many chronic pain syndromes including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headache, chronic back pain, and complex regional pain syndrome are associated with hypersensitivity to painful stimuli and with reduced endogenous pain inhibition. These findings suggest that modulation of pain-related information may be related to the onset and/or maintenance of chronic pain. Although pain sensitivity and pain inhibition are normally distributed in the general population, they are not useful as reliable predictors of future pain. The combination of heightened pain sensitivity and reduced pain-inhibition, however, appears to predispose individuals to greater risk for increased acute clinical pain (e.g., postoperative pain). It is unknown at this time whether such pain processing abnormalities may also place individuals at increased risk for chronic pain. Psychophysical methods, including heat sensory and pressure pain testing have become increasingly available and can be used for the evaluation of pain sensitivity and pain inhibition. However, long-term prospective studies in the general population are lacking which could yield insight into the role of heightened pain sensitivity and pain disinhibition for the development of chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia. PMID:19647141

Relationship Between Sensory Processing and Pretend Play in Typically Developing Children.

PubMed

Roberts, Tara; Stagnitti, Karen; Brown, Ted; Bhopti, Anoo

We sought to investigate the relationship between sensory processing and pretend play in typically developing children. Forty-two typically developing children ages 5-7 yr were assessed with the Child Initiated Pretend Play Assessment and the Home and Main Classroom forms of the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM). There were significant relationships between elaborate pretend play and body awareness (r = .62, p < .01), balance (r = .42, p < .01), and touch (r = .47, p < .01). Object substitution was associated with social participation (r = .42, p < .05). The sensory processing factors (from the SPM)-namely, Body Awareness, Balance, Touch, and Social Participation-were predictive of the quality of children's engagement in pretend play in the home environment. The results indicated that, to engage and participate in play, children are involving sensory processing abilities, especially body awareness, balance, and touch. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Comparing Sensory Information Processing and Alexithymia between People with Substance Dependency and Normal.

PubMed

Bashapoor, Sajjad; Hosseini-Kiasari, Seyyedeh Tayebeh; Daneshvar, Somayeh; Kazemi-Taskooh, Zeinab

2015-01-01

Sensory information processing and alexithymia are two important factors in determining behavioral reactions. Some studies explain the effect of the sensitivity of sensory processing and alexithymia in the tendency to substance abuse. Giving that, the aim of the current study was to compare the styles of sensory information processing and alexithymia between substance-dependent people and normal ones. The research method was cross-sectional and the statistical population of the current study comprised of all substance-dependent men who are present in substance quitting camps of Masal, Iran, in October 2013 (n = 78). 36 persons were selected randomly by simple randomly sampling method from this population as the study group, and 36 persons were also selected among the normal population in the same way as the comparison group. Both groups was evaluated by using Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS) and adult sensory profile, and the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test was applied to analyze data. The results showed that there are significance differences between two groups in low registration (P < 0.020, F = 5.66), sensation seeking (P < 0.050, F = 1.92), and sensory avoidance (P < 0.008, F = 7.52) as a components of sensory processing and difficulty in describing emotions (P < 0.001, F = 15.01) and difficulty in identifying emotions (P < 0.002, F = 10.54) as a components of alexithymia. However, no significant difference were found between two groups in components of sensory sensitivity (P < 0.170, F = 1.92) and external oriented thinking style (P < 0.060, F = 3.60). These results showed that substance-dependent people process sensory information in a different way than normal people and show more alexithymia features than them.

Comparing Sensory Information Processing and Alexithymia between People with Substance Dependency and Normal

PubMed Central

Bashapoor, Sajjad; Hosseini-Kiasari, Seyyedeh Tayebeh; Daneshvar, Somayeh; Kazemi-Taskooh, Zeinab

2015-01-01

Background Sensory information processing and alexithymia are two important factors in determining behavioral reactions. Some studies explain the effect of the sensitivity of sensory processing and alexithymia in the tendency to substance abuse. Giving that, the aim of the current study was to compare the styles of sensory information processing and alexithymia between substance-dependent people and normal ones. Methods The research method was cross-sectional and the statistical population of the current study comprised of all substance-dependent men who are present in substance quitting camps of Masal, Iran, in October 2013 (n = 78). 36 persons were selected randomly by simple randomly sampling method from this population as the study group, and 36 persons were also selected among the normal population in the same way as the comparison group. Both groups was evaluated by using Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS) and adult sensory profile, and the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test was applied to analyze data. Findings The results showed that there are significance differences between two groups in low registration (P < 0.020, F = 5.66), sensation seeking (P < 0.050, F = 1.92), and sensory avoidance (P < 0.008, F = 7.52) as a components of sensory processing and difficulty in describing emotions (P < 0.001, F = 15.01) and difficulty in identifying emotions (P < 0.002, F = 10.54) as a components of alexithymia. However, no significant difference were found between two groups in components of sensory sensitivity (P < 0.170, F = 1.92) and external oriented thinking style (P < 0.060, F = 3.60). Conclusion These results showed that substance-dependent people process sensory information in a different way than normal people and show more alexithymia features than them. PMID:26885354

Mental rotation of body parts and sensory temporal discrimination in fixed dystonia.

PubMed

Katschnig, Petra; Edwards, Mark J; Schwingenschuh, Petra; Aguirregomozcorta, Maria; Kägi, Georg; Rothwell, John C; Bhatia, Kailash P

2010-06-15

Fixed dystonia is an uncommon but severely disabling condition typically affecting young women following a minor peripheral injury. There is no evidence of any structural lesions of the central nervous system nor any clear peripheral nerve or root damage. Electrophysiological techniques such as short intracortical inhibition, cortical silent period and a plasticity inducing protocol have revealed similarities but also differences compared to classical mobile dystonia. To further explore the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia we compared mental rotation of body parts and sensory temporal discrimination in 11 patients with fixed dystonia, 11 patients with classical mobile dystonia and 10 healthy controls. In the mental rotation task subjects were presented with realistic photos of left or right hands, feet and the head of a young women with a black patch covering the left or the right eye in six different orientations. Subjects had to verbally report the laterality of the presented stimuli. To assess sensory temporal discrimination subjects were asked to discriminate whether pairs of visual, tactile (electrical), or visuo-tactile stimuli were simultaneous or sequential (temporal discrimination threshold) and in the latter case which stimulus preceded the other (temporal order judgement). In accordance with previous studies patients with mobile dystonia were abnormal in mental rotation and temporal discrimination, whereas patients with fixed dystonia were only impaired in mental rotation. Possible explanations for this deficit may include the influence of the abnormal body posture itself, a shared predisposing pathophysiology for mobile and fixed dystonia, or a body image disturbance. These findings add information to the developing pathophysiological picture of fixed dystonia. (c) 2010 Movement Disorder Society.

Fast Synaptic Inhibition in Spinal Sensory Processing and Pain Control

PubMed Central

Zeilhofer, Hanns Ulrich; Wildner, Hendrik; Yevenes, Gonzalo E.

2013-01-01

The two amino acids γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) and glycine mediate fast inhibitory neurotransmission in different CNS areas and serve pivotal roles in the spinal sensory processing. Under healthy conditions, they limit the excitability of spinal terminals of primary sensory nerve fibers and of intrinsic dorsal horn neurons through pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms, and thereby facilitate the spatial and temporal discrimination of sensory stimuli. Removal of fast inhibition not only reduces the fidelity of normal sensory processing but also provokes symptoms very much reminiscent of pathological and chronic pain syndromes. This review summarizes our knowledge of the molecular bases of spinal inhibitory neurotransmission and its organization in dorsal horn sensory circuits. Particular emphasis is placed on the role and mechanisms of spinal inhibitory malfunction in inflammatory and neuropathic chronic pain syndromes. PMID:22298656

Measurement in Sensory Modulation: The Sensory Processing Scale Assessment

PubMed Central

Miller, Lucy J.; Sullivan, Jillian C.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE. Sensory modulation issues have a significant impact on participation in daily life. Moreover, understanding phenotypic variation in sensory modulation dysfunction is crucial for research related to defining homogeneous groups and for clinical work in guiding treatment planning. We thus evaluated the new Sensory Processing Scale (SPS) Assessment. METHOD. Research included item development, behavioral scoring system development, test administration, and item analyses to evaluate reliability and validity across sensory domains. RESULTS. Items with adequate reliability (internal reliability >.4) and discriminant validity (p < .01) were retained. Feedback from the expert panel also contributed to decisions about retaining items in the scale. CONCLUSION. The SPS Assessment appears to be a reliable and valid measure of sensory modulation (scale reliability >.90; discrimination between group effect sizes >1.00). This scale has the potential to aid in differential diagnosis of sensory modulation issues. PMID:25184464

Amplitude and timing of somatosensory cortex activity in task-specific focal hand dystonia.

PubMed

Dolberg, Rebecca; Hinkley, Leighton B N; Honma, Susanne; Zhu, Zhao; Findlay, Anne M; Byl, Nancy N; Nagarajan, Srikantan S

2011-12-01

Task-specific focal hand dystonia (tspFHD) is a movement disorder diagnosed in individuals performing repetitive hand behaviors. The extent to which processing anomalies in primary sensory cortex extend to other regions or across the two hemispheres is presently unclear. In response to low/high rate and novel tactile stimuli on the affected and unaffected hands, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to elaborate activity timing and amplitude in the primary somatosensory (S1) and secondary somatosensory/parietal ventral (S2/PV) cortices. MEG and clinical performance measures were collected from 13 patients and matched controls. Compared to controls, subjects with tspFHD had increased response amplitude in S2/PV bilaterally in response to high rate and novel stimuli. Subjects with tspFHD also showed increased response latency (low rate, novel) of the affected digits in contralateral S1. For high rate, subjects with tspFHD showed increased response latency in ipsilateral S1 and S2/PV bilaterally. Activation differences correlated with functional sensory deficits (predicting a latency shift in S1), motor speed and muscle strength. There are objective differences in the amplitude and timing of activity for both hands across contralateral and ipsilateral somatosensory cortex in patients with tspFHD. Knowledge of cortical processing abnormalities across S1 and S2/PV in dystonia should be applied towards the development of learning-based sensorimotor interventions. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mismatch negativity (MMN) and sensory auditory processing in children aged 9-12 years presenting with putative antecedents of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Bruggemann, Jason M; Stockill, Helen V; Lenroot, Rhoshel K; Laurens, Kristin R

2013-09-01

Identification of markers of abnormal brain function in children at-risk of schizophrenia may inform early intervention and prevention programs. Individuals with schizophrenia are characterised by attenuation of MMN amplitude, which indexes automatic auditory sensory processing. The current aim was to examine whether children who may be at increased risk of schizophrenia due to their presenting multiple putative antecedents of schizophrenia (ASz) are similarly characterised by MMN amplitude reductions, relative to typically developing (TD) children. EEG was recorded from 22 ASz and 24 TD children aged 9 to 12 years (matched on age, sex, and IQ) during a passive auditory oddball task (15% duration deviant). ASz children were those presenting: (1) speech and/or motor development lags/problems; (2) social, emotional, or behavioural problems in the clinical range; and (3) psychotic-like experiences. TD children presented no antecedents, and had no family history of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. MMN amplitude, but not latency, was significantly greater at frontal sites in the ASz group than in the TD group. Although the MMN exhibited by the children at risk of schizophrenia was unlike that of their typically developing peers, it also differed from the reduced MMN amplitude observed in adults with schizophrenia. This may reflect developmental and disease effects in a pre-prodromal phase of psychosis onset. Longitudinal follow-up is necessary to establish the developmental trajectory of MMN in at-risk children. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Event-related potential studies of post-traumatic stress disorder: a critical review and synthesis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Despite the sparseness of the currently available data, there is accumulating evidence of information processing impairment in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies of event-related potentials (ERPs) are the main tool in real time examination of information processing. In this paper, we sought to critically review the ERP evidence of information processing abnormalities in patients with PTSD. We also examined the evidence supporting the existence of a relationship between ERP abnormalities and symptom profiles or severity in PTSD patients. An extensive Medline search was performed. Keywords included PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, electrophysiology or EEG, electrophysiology, P50, P100, N100, P2, P200, P3, P300, sensory gating, CNV (contingent negative variation) and MMN (mismatch negativity). We limited the review to ERP adult human studies with control groups which were reported in the English language. After applying our inclusion-exclusion review criteria, 36 studies were included. Subjects exposed to wide ranges of military and civilian traumas were studied in these reports. Presented stimuli were both auditory and visual. The most widely studied components included P300, P50 gating, N100 and P200. Most of the studies reported increased P300 response to trauma-related stimuli in PTSD patients. A smaller group of studies reported dampening of responses or no change in responses to trauma-related and/or unrelated stimuli. P50 studies were strongly suggestive of impaired gating in patients with PTSD. In conclusion, the majority of reports support evidence of information processing abnormalities in patients with PTSD diagnosis. The predominance of evidence suggests presence of mid-latency and late ERP components differences in PTSD patients in comparison to healthy controls. Heterogeneity of assessment methods used contributes to difficulties in reaching firm conclusions regarding the nature of these differences. We suggest that future ERP-PTSD studies utilize standardized assessment scales that provide detailed information regarding the symptom clusters and the degree of symptom severity. This would allow assessment of electrophysiological indices-clinical symptoms relationships. Based on the available data, we suggest that ERP abnormalities in PTSD are possibly affected by the level of illness severity. If supported by future research, ERP studies may be used for both initial assessment and treatment follow-up. PMID:22738160

On Categorizing Sounds.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-17

associated with stimulus intensities, sensory processes, encoding processes, perceptual mechanisms, memory systems, or response processes. Each possibility...has been proposed in the literature and the answer is not known. If SEs are due to a single mechanism, it is not stimulus intensity, a sensory ...on neural activities in the ear. Since the stimuli and the stimulus sequences were identical the ME and ME-with-feedback studies, sensory

Voxel-by-voxel analysis of brain SPECT perfusion in Fibromyalgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guedj, Eric; Taïeb, David; Cammilleri, Serge; Lussato, David; de Laforte, Catherine; Niboyet, Jean; Mundler, Olivier

2007-02-01

We evaluated brain perfusion SPECT at rest, without noxious stiumuli, in a homogeneous group of hyperalgesic FM patients. We performed a voxel-based analysis in comparison to a control group, matched for age and gender. Under such conditions, we made the assumption that significant cerebral perfusion abnormalities could be demonstrated, evidencing altered cerebral processing associated with spontaneous pain in FM patients. The secondary objective was to study the reversibility and the prognostic value of such possible perfusion abnormalities under specific treatment. Eighteen hyperalgesic FM women (mean age 48 yr; range 25-63 yr; ACR criteria) and 10 healthy women matched for age were enrolled in the study. A voxel-by-voxel group analysis was performed using SPM2 ( p<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). All brain SPECT were performed before any change was made in therapy in the pain care unit. A second SPECT was performed a month later after specific treatment by Ketamine. Compared to control subjects, we observed individual brain SPECT abnormalities in FM patients, confirmed by SPM2 analysis with hyperperfusion of the somatosensory cortex and hypoperfusion of the frontal, cingulate, medial temporal and cerebellar cortices. We also found that a medial frontal and anterior cingulate hypoperfusions were highly predictive (PPV=83%; NPV=91%) of non-response on Ketamine, and that only responders showed significant modification of brain perfusion, after treatment. In the present study performed without noxious stimuli in hyperalgesic FM patients, we found significant hyperperfusion in regions of the brain known to be involved in sensory dimension of pain processing and significant hypoperfusion in areas assumed to be associated with the affective dimension. As current pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies act differently on both components of pain, we hypothesize that SPECT could be a valuable and readily available tool to guide individual therapeutic strategy and provide objective follow-up of pain-processing recovery under treatment.

Fractality of sensations and the brain health: the theory linking neurodegenerative disorder with distortion of spatial and temporal scale-invariance and fractal complexity of the visible world

PubMed Central

Zueva, Marina V.

2015-01-01

The theory that ties normal functioning and pathology of the brain and visual system with the spatial–temporal structure of the visual and other sensory stimuli is described for the first time in the present study. The deficit of fractal complexity of environmental influences can lead to the distortion of fractal complexity in the visual pathways of the brain and abnormalities of development or aging. The use of fractal light stimuli and fractal stimuli of other modalities can help to restore the functions of the brain, particularly in the elderly and in patients with neurodegenerative disorders or amblyopia. Non-linear dynamics of these physiological processes have a strong base of evidence, which is seen in the impaired fractal regulation of rhythmic activity in aged and diseased brains. From birth to old age, we live in a non-linear world, in which objects and processes with the properties of fractality and non-linearity surround us. Against this background, the evolution of man took place and all periods of life unfolded. Works of art created by man may also have fractal properties. The positive influence of music on cognitive functions is well-known. Insufficiency of sensory experience is believed to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of amblyopia and age-dependent diseases. The brain is very plastic in its early development, and the plasticity decreases throughout life. However, several studies showed the possibility to reactivate the adult’s neuroplasticity in a variety of ways. We propose that a non-linear structure of sensory information on many spatial and temporal scales is crucial to the brain health and fractal regulation of physiological rhythms. Theoretical substantiation of the author’s theory is presented. Possible applications and the future research that can experimentally confirm or refute the theoretical concept are considered. PMID:26236232

Nogo Receptor Homolog NgR2 Expressed in Sensory DRG Neurons Controls Epidermal Innervation by Interaction with Versican

PubMed Central

Bäumer, Bastian E.; Kurz, Antje; Borrie, Sarah C.; Sickinger, Stephan; Dours-Zimmermann, María T.; Zimmermann, Dieter R.

2014-01-01

Primary sensory afferents of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) that innervate the skin detect a wide range of stimuli, such as touch, temperature, pain, and itch. Different functional classes of nociceptors project their axons to distinct target zones within the developing skin, but the molecular mechanisms that regulate target innervation are less clear. Here we report that the Nogo66 receptor homolog NgR2 is essential for proper cutaneous innervation. NgR2−/− mice display increased density of nonpeptidergic nociceptors in the footpad and exhibit enhanced sensitivity to mechanical force and innocuous cold temperatures. These sensory deficits are not associated with any abnormality in morphology or density of DRG neurons. However, deletion of NgR2 renders nociceptive nonpeptidergic sensory neurons insensitive to the outgrowth repulsive activity of skin-derived Versican. Biochemical evidence shows that NgR2 specifically interacts with the G3 domain of Versican. The data suggest that Versican/NgR2 signaling at the dermo-epidermal junction acts in vivo as a local suppressor of axonal plasticity to control proper density of epidermal sensory fiber innervation. Our findings not only reveal the existence of a novel and unsuspected mechanism regulating epidermal target innervation, but also provide the first evidence for a physiological role of NgR2 in the peripheral nervous system. PMID:24478347

Nogo receptor homolog NgR2 expressed in sensory DRG neurons controls epidermal innervation by interaction with Versican.

PubMed

Bäumer, Bastian E; Kurz, Antje; Borrie, Sarah C; Sickinger, Stephan; Dours-Zimmermann, María T; Zimmermann, Dieter R; Bandtlow, Christine E

2014-01-29

Primary sensory afferents of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) that innervate the skin detect a wide range of stimuli, such as touch, temperature, pain, and itch. Different functional classes of nociceptors project their axons to distinct target zones within the developing skin, but the molecular mechanisms that regulate target innervation are less clear. Here we report that the Nogo66 receptor homolog NgR2 is essential for proper cutaneous innervation. NgR2(-/-) mice display increased density of nonpeptidergic nociceptors in the footpad and exhibit enhanced sensitivity to mechanical force and innocuous cold temperatures. These sensory deficits are not associated with any abnormality in morphology or density of DRG neurons. However, deletion of NgR2 renders nociceptive nonpeptidergic sensory neurons insensitive to the outgrowth repulsive activity of skin-derived Versican. Biochemical evidence shows that NgR2 specifically interacts with the G3 domain of Versican. The data suggest that Versican/NgR2 signaling at the dermo-epidermal junction acts in vivo as a local suppressor of axonal plasticity to control proper density of epidermal sensory fiber innervation. Our findings not only reveal the existence of a novel and unsuspected mechanism regulating epidermal target innervation, but also provide the first evidence for a physiological role of NgR2 in the peripheral nervous system.

[Clinical and electrophysiological findings in carpal tunnel syndrome].

PubMed

Kohara, Nobuo

2007-11-01

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment disorder. The clinical features of CTS are variable, but usually include pain and paresthesia in the thumb, first two fingers, and the radial-half of the ring finger. Paresthesia and sensory deficits might involve the entire palm area in some cases. Pain frequently radiate proximally into the forearm, and occasionally to the shoulder. Many patients experience pain at night and are awakened by abnormal sensations. Shaking hand relief the symptom. The two classic tests for nerve compression at the wrist are the Tinel test and the Phalen maneuver, which diagnostic value is limited. Golden standard for the diagnosis is the combination of the clinical findings and the electrophysiological study. Routine median nerve conduction study is valuable. Prolonged terminal latency of motor or sensory nerve would be found in most CTS hands. If the routine study showed equivocal, more sensitive methods are needed. Those include segmental sensory conduction study across the carpal tunnel by median stimulation at midpalm, a comparison of median and ulnar sensory nerve latencies at ring finger and a comparison of median and radial sensory nerve latencies at thumb. A difference between the median motor latency to the second lumbrical and the ulnar motor latency to the interossei muscles has also diagnostic value in some cases. In addition, inching method can localized the compression site. Using these techniques, the diagnosis of CTS would become more reliable.

Misclassification and linkage of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1 as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Type 2B

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vance, J.M.; Speer, M.C.; Stajich, J.M.

1996-07-01

Recently Kwon et al. published in the Journal their work describing linkage of a single large family with an inherited axonal neuropathy to chromosome 3, which they suggest is a second locus for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) type 2 and subsequently named {open_quotes}CMT2B.{close_quotes} We think that the diagnostic classification of this family as CMT2 is incorrect, since the subjects have a severe sensory neuropathy that fits within the hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) type 1 classification of Dyck (1993). Abnormal sensory findings in CMT2 separate it from distal spinal muscular atrophy but are a minor component of clinical symptoms in mostmore » CMT patients, as CMT is primarily a motor neuropathy. When Kwon et al. state that {open_quotes}all [patients] had characteristic findings in their physical examinations, including... evidence of foot sores that were slow to heal, or amputated limbs related to the poorly healing foot ulcers,{close_quotes} it suggests that a different diagnosis is more appropriate. In our experience collecting data on >950 individuals in >60 CMT1, CMT2, CMTX and CMT4 families, we have not seen foot ulcers, osteomyelitis, or amputations. Ulcerations leading to osteomyelitis and amputations are usually associated with severe sensory neuropathies. 16 refs., 1 tab.« less

Biasing the brain's attentional set: I. cue driven deployments of intersensory selective attention.

PubMed

Foxe, John J; Simpson, Gregory V; Ahlfors, Seppo P; Saron, Clifford D

2005-10-01

Brain activity associated with directing attention to one of two possible sensory modalities was examined using high-density mapping of human event-related potentials. The deployment of selective attention was based on visually presented symbolic cue-words instructing subjects on a trial-by-trial basis, which sensory modality to attend. We measured the spatio-temporal pattern of activation in the approximately 1 second period between the cue-instruction and a subsequent compound auditory-visual imperative stimulus. This allowed us to assess the flow of processing across brain regions involved in deploying and sustaining inter-sensory selective attention, prior to the actual selective processing of the compound audio-visual target stimulus. Activity over frontal and parietal areas showed sensory specific increases in activation during the early part of the anticipatory period (~230 ms), probably representing the activation of fronto-parietal attentional deployment systems for top-down control of attention. In the later period preceding the arrival of the "to-be-attended" stimulus, sustained differential activity was seen over fronto-central regions and parieto-occipital regions, suggesting the maintenance of sensory-specific biased attentional states that would allow for subsequent selective processing. Although there was clear sensory biasing in this late sustained period, it was also clear that both sensory systems were being prepared during the cue-target period. These late sensory-specific biasing effects were also accompanied by sustained activations over frontal cortices that also showed both common and sensory specific activation patterns, suggesting that maintenance of the biased state includes top-down inputs from generators in frontal cortices, some of which are sensory-specific regions. These data support extensive interactions between sensory, parietal and frontal regions during processing of cue information, deployment of attention, and maintenance of the focus of attention in anticipation of impending attentionally relevant input.

Health effects among refrigeration repair workers exposed to fluorocarbons.

PubMed Central

Campbell, D D; Lockey, J E; Petajan, J; Gunter, B J; Rom, W N

1986-01-01

Refrigeration repair workers may be intermittently exposed to fluorocarbons and their thermal decomposition products. A case of peripheral neuropathy (distal axonopathy) in a commercial refrigeration repairman prompted an epidemiological investigation of the health of refrigeration repair workers. No additional cases of peripheral neuropathy were identified among the 27 refrigeration repair workers studied. A reference group of 14 non-refrigeration repair workers was also studied. No differences were noted between groups for the ulnar (motor and sensory), median (motor and sensory), peroneal, sural, or tibial nerve conduction velocities. Refrigeration repair workers reported palpitations and lightheadedness significantly more often than workers in the reference group. No clinical neurological or electroneurophysiological abnormalities were detected in eight refrigeration repair workers followed up for three years during continuous employment. PMID:3004555

Neurogenin 1 Null Mutant Ears Develop Fewer, Morphologically Normal Hair Cells in Smaller Sensory Epithelia Devoid of Innervation

PubMed Central

Ma, Qiufu; Anderson, David J.

2000-01-01

The proneuronal gene neurogenin 1 (ngn1) is essential for development of the inner-ear sensory neurons that are completely absent in ngn1 null mutants. Neither afferent, efferent, nor autonomic nerve fibers were detected in the ears of ngn1 null mutants. We suggest that efferent and autonomic fibers are lost secondarily to the absence of afferents. In this article we show that ngn1 null mutants develop smaller sensory epithelia with morphologically normal hair cells. In particular, the saccule is reduced dramatically and forms only a small recess with few hair cells along a duct connecting the utricle with the cochlea. Hair cells of newborn ngn1 null mutants show no structural abnormalities, suggesting that embryonic development of hair cells is independent of innervation. However, the less regular pattern of dispersal within sensory epithelia may be caused by some effects of afferents or to the stunted growth of the sensory epithelia. Tracing of facial and stato-acoustic nerves in control and ngn1 null mutants showed that only the distal, epibranchial, placode-derived sensory neurons of the geniculate ganglion exist in mutants. Tracing further showed that these geniculate ganglion neurons project exclusively to the solitary tract. In addition to the normal complement of facial branchial and visceral motoneurons, ngn1 null mutants have some trigeminal motoneurons and contralateral inner-ear efferents projecting, at least temporarily, through the facial nerve. These data suggest that some neurons in the brainstem (e.g., inner-ear efferents, trigeminal motoneurons) require afferents to grow along and redirect to ectopic cranial nerve roots in the absence of their corresponding sensory roots. PMID:11545141

Sensory experience of food and obesity: a positron emission tomography study of the brain regions affected by tasting a liquid meal after a prolonged fast.

PubMed

DelParigi, Angelo; Chen, Kewei; Salbe, Arline D; Reiman, Eric M; Tataranni, P Antonio

2005-01-15

The sensory experience of food is a primary reinforcer of eating and overeating plays a major role in the development of human obesity. However, whether the sensory experience of a forthcoming meal and the associated physiological phenomena (cephalic phase response, expectation of reward), which prepare the organism for the ingestion of food play a role in the regulation of energy intake and contribute to the development of obesity remains largely unresolved. We used positron emission tomography (PET) and 15O-water to measure changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and to assess the brain's response to the oral administration of 2 ml of a liquid meal (Ensure Plus, 1.5 kcal/ml) after a 36-h fast and shortly before consuming the same meal. Twenty-one obese (BMI > 35 kg/m2, 10M/11F, age 28 +/- 6 years, body fat 40 +/- 6%) and 20 lean individuals (BMI < 25 kg/m2, 10M/10F, age 33 +/- 9 years, body fat 21 +/- 7%) were studied. Compared to lean individuals, obese individuals had higher fasting plasma glucose (83.3 +/- 6.2 vs. 75.5 +/- 9.6 mg/dl; P = 0.0003) and insulin concentrations (6.1 +/- 3.5 vs. 2.5 +/- 1.7 microU/ml; P < 0.0001) and were characterized by a higher score of dietary disinhibition (i.e., the susceptibility of eating behavior to emotional factors and sensory cues, 5.7 +/- 3.6 vs. 3.5 +/- 2.7; P = 0.01) assessed by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. In response to the sensory experience of food, differences in rCBF were observed in several regions of the brain, including greater increases in the middle-dorsal insula and midbrain, and greater decreases in the posterior cingulate, temporal, and orbitofrontal cortices in obese compared to lean individuals (P < 0.05, after small volume correction). In a multiple regression model, percentage of body fat (P = 0.04), glycemia (P = 0.01), and disinhibition (P = 0.07) were independent correlates of the neural response to the sensory experience of the meal in the middle-dorsal insular cortex (R2 = 0.45). We conclude that obesity is associated with an abnormal brain response to the sensory aspects of a liquid meal after a prolonged fast especially in areas of the primary gustatory cortex. This is only partially explained by the elevated glycemia and high level of disinhibition which characterize individuals with increased adiposity. These results provide a new perspective on the understanding of the neuroanatomical correlates of abnormal eating behavior and their relationship with obesity in humans.

Sensory over-responsivity in adults with autism spectrum conditions.

PubMed

Tavassoli, Teresa; Miller, Lucy J; Schoen, Sarah A; Nielsen, Darci M; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2014-05-01

Anecdotal reports and empirical evidence suggest that sensory processing issues are a key feature of autism spectrum conditions. This study set out to investigate whether adults with autism spectrum conditions report more sensory over-responsivity than adults without autism spectrum conditions. Another goal of the study was to identify whether autistic traits in adults with and without autism spectrum conditions were associated with sensory over-responsivity. Adults with (n = 221) and without (n = 181) autism spectrum conditions participated in an online survey. The Autism Spectrum Quotient, the Raven Matrices and the Sensory Processing Scale were used to characterize the sample. Adults with autism spectrum conditions reported more sensory over-responsivity than control participants across various sensory domains (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory and proprioceptive). Sensory over-responsivity correlated positively with autistic traits (Autism Spectrum Quotient) at a significant level across groups and within groups. Adults with autism spectrum conditions experience sensory over-responsivity to daily sensory stimuli to a high degree. A positive relationship exists between sensory over-responsivity and autistic traits. Understanding sensory over-responsivity and ways of measuring it in adults with autism spectrum conditions has implications for research and clinical settings.

Brain size and visual environment predict species differences in paper wasp sensory processing brain regions (hymenoptera: vespidae, polistinae).

PubMed

O'Donnell, Sean; Clifford, Marie R; DeLeon, Sara; Papa, Christopher; Zahedi, Nazaneen; Bulova, Susan J

2013-01-01

The mosaic brain evolution hypothesis predicts that the relative volumes of functionally distinct brain regions will vary independently and correlate with species' ecology. Paper wasp species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae) differ in light exposure: they construct open versus enclosed nests and one genus (Apoica) is nocturnal. We asked whether light environments were related to species differences in the size of antennal and optic processing brain tissues. Paper wasp brains have anatomically distinct peripheral and central regions that process antennal and optic sensory inputs. We measured the volumes of 4 sensory processing brain regions in paper wasp species from 13 Neotropical genera including open and enclosed nesters, and diurnal and nocturnal species. Species differed in sensory region volumes, but there was no evidence for trade-offs among sensory modalities. All sensory region volumes correlated with brain size. However, peripheral optic processing investment increased with brain size at a higher rate than peripheral antennal processing investment. Our data suggest that mosaic and concerted (size-constrained) brain evolution are not exclusive alternatives. When brain regions increase with brain size at different rates, these distinct allometries can allow for differential investment among sensory modalities. As predicted by mosaic evolution, species ecology was associated with some aspects of brain region investment. Nest architecture variation was not associated with brain investment differences, but the nocturnal genus Apoica had the largest antennal:optic volume ratio in its peripheral sensory lobes. Investment in central processing tissues was not related to nocturnality, a pattern also noted in mammals. The plasticity of neural connections in central regions may accommodate evolutionary shifts in input from the periphery with relatively minor changes in volume. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Emerging Role of Sensory Perception in Aging and Metabolism.

PubMed

Riera, Celine E; Dillin, Andrew

2016-05-01

Sensory perception comprises gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) modalities as well as somatosensory (pain, heat, and tactile mechanosensory) inputs, which are detected by a multitude of sensory receptors. These sensory receptors are contained in specialized ciliated neurons where they detect changes in environmental conditions and participate in behavioral decisions ranging from food choice to avoiding harmful conditions, thus insuring basic survival in metazoans. Recent genetic studies, however, indicate that sensory perception plays additional physiological functions, notably influencing energy homeostatic processes and longevity through neuronal circuits originating from sensory tissues. Here we review how these findings are redefining metabolic signaling and establish a prominent role of sensory neuroendocrine processes in controlling health span and lifespan, with a goal of translating this knowledge towards managing age-associated diseases. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Approaches for Assessing Olfaction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Kumazaki, Hirokazu; Okamoto, Masako; Kanzaki, Sho; Okada, Ken-Ichi; Mimura, Masaru; Minabe, Yoshio; Kikuchi, Mitsuru

2018-01-01

Olfactory traits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are considered the strongest predictors of social impairment. Compared to other sensory abnormalities, olfactory abnormalities in individuals with ASD are poorly understood. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current assessment in individuals with ASD. Several confounding factors have to be considered when conducting research on olfaction in individuals with ASD. Qualitative measures of olfaction contain only limited information about the olfactory stimuli. In addition, little systematic information is available about individual's actual uses of olfaction in daily life. Only a limited number of experimental studies have performed quantitative measurements of olfactory abnormalities in ASD. Therefore, clarifying the relationship between olfactory traits and the influence of real-life situations in a laboratory setting is very difficult. Some new methodologies for measuring olfactory traits are gradually becoming available. New methods that reveal important links between ASD and olfactory traits should be developed in the future.

Autism, epilepsy, and synaptopathies: a not rare association.

PubMed

Keller, Roberto; Basta, Roberta; Salerno, Luana; Elia, Maurizio

2017-08-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders typically diagnosed in childhood, characterized by core social dysfunction, rigid and repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, and abnormal sensorial sensitivity. ASD belong to multifactorial diseases: both genetic and environmental factors have been considered as potential risk factors for their onset. ASD are often associated with neurological conditions: the co-occurrence of epilepsy is well documented and there is also evidence of a higher prevalence of EEG abnormalities with 4-86% of individuals with ASD presenting epileptiform or not epileptiform EEG abnormalities. The presence of epilepsy in people with ASD may be determined by several structural alterations, genetic conditions, or metabolic dysfunctions, known to play a role in the emergence of both epilepsy and autism. The purpose of this article is to discuss precisely such latter cause of the autism-epilepsy association, focusing specifically on those "synaptic genes," whose mutation predisposes to both the diseases.

The synaptic pharmacology underlying sensory processing in the superior colliculus.

PubMed

Binns, K E

1999-10-01

The superior colliculus (SC) is one of the most ancient regions of the vertebrate central sensory system. In this hub afferents from several sensory pathways converge, and an extensive range of neural circuits enable primary sensory processing, multi-sensory integration and the generation of motor commands for orientation behaviours. The SC has a laminar structure and is usually considered in two parts; the superficial visual layers and the deep multi-modal/motor layers. Neurones in the superficial layers integrate visual information from the retina, cortex and other sources, while the deep layers draw together data from many cortical and sub-cortical sensory areas, including the superficial layers, to generate motor commands. Functional studies in anaesthetized subjects and in slice preparations have used pharmacological tools to probe some of the SC's interacting circuits. The studies reviewed here reveal important roles for ionotropic glutamate receptors in the mediation of sensory inputs to the SC and in transmission between the superficial and deep layers. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors appear to have special responsibility for the temporal matching of retinal and cortical activity in the superficial layers and for the integration of multiple sensory data-streams in the deep layers. Sensory responses are shaped by intrinsic inhibitory mechanisms mediated by GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors and influenced by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These sensory and motor-command activities of SC neurones are modulated by levels of arousal through extrinsic connections containing GABA, serotonin and other transmitters. It is possible to naturally stimulate many of the SC's sensory and non-sensory inputs either independently or simultaneously and this brain area is an ideal location in which to study: (a) interactions between inputs from the same sensory system; (b) the integration of inputs from several sensory systems; and (c) the influence of non-sensory systems on sensory processing.

Mapping sensory circuits by anterograde trans-synaptic transfer of recombinant rabies virus

PubMed Central

Zampieri, Niccolò; Jessell, Thomas M.; Murray, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Summary Primary sensory neurons convey information from the external world to relay circuits within the central nervous system (CNS), but the identity and organization of the neurons that process incoming sensory information remains sketchy. Within the CNS viral tracing techniques that rely on retrograde trans-synaptic transfer provide a powerful tool for delineating circuit organization. Viral tracing of the circuits engaged by primary sensory neurons has, however, been hampered by the absence of a genetically tractable anterograde transfer system. In this study we demonstrate that rabies virus can infect sensory neurons in the somatosensory system, is subject to anterograde trans-synaptic transfer from primary sensory to spinal target neurons, and can delineate output connectivity with third-order neurons. Anterograde trans-synaptic transfer is a feature shared by other classes of primary sensory neurons, permitting the identification and potentially the manipulation of neural circuits processing sensory feedback within the mammalian CNS. PMID:24486087

Laser-evoked potentials in painful radiculopathy.

PubMed

Hüllemann, P; von der Brelie, C; Manthey, G; Düsterhöft, J; Helmers, A K; Synowitz, M; Gierthmühlen, J; Baron, R

2017-11-01

The aims of this exploratory study were (1) to develop a standardized objective electrophysiological technique with laser-evoked potentials to assess dorsal root damage quantitatively and (2) to correlate these LEP measures with clinical parameters and sensory abnormalities (QST) in the affected dermatome. Thirty-eight patients with painful radiculopathy and 20 healthy subjects were investigated with LEP recorded from the affected dermatome and control areas as well as with quantitative sensory testing. Questionnaires evaluating severity and functionality were applied. On average, LEP amplitudes and latencies from the affected dermatomes did not differ from the contralateral control side. In patients with left L5 radiculopathy (more severely affected) the N2 latency was longer and the amplitudes reduced. The N2P2 amplitude correlated with pinprick evoked sensations in QST. The N2 latency from the affected dermatome correlates with pain intensity, chronicity, clinical severity and with a decrease of physical function. An increase in N2-latency indicates a more pronounced nerve root damage, which is associated with a decrease of function and an increase of severity and pain. LEP amplitudes are associated with the functional status of the nociceptive system and may distinguish between degeneration of neuronal systems and central sensitization processes. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Critical period inhibition of NKCC1 rectifies synapse plasticity in the somatosensory cortex and restores adult tactile response maps in fragile X mice.

PubMed

He, Qionger; Arroyo, Erica D; Smukowski, Samuel N; Xu, Jian; Piochon, Claire; Savas, Jeffrey N; Portera-Cailliau, Carlos; Contractor, Anis

2018-04-27

Sensory perturbations in visual, auditory and tactile perception are core problems in fragile X syndrome (FXS). In the Fmr1 knockout mouse model of FXS, the maturation of synapses and circuits during critical period (CP) development in the somatosensory cortex is delayed, but it is unclear how this contributes to altered tactile sensory processing in the mature CNS. Here we demonstrate that inhibiting the juvenile chloride co-transporter NKCC1, which contributes to altered chloride homeostasis in developing cortical neurons of FXS mice, rectifies the chloride imbalance in layer IV somatosensory cortex neurons and corrects the development of thalamocortical excitatory synapses during the CP. Comparison of protein abundances demonstrated that NKCC1 inhibition during early development caused a broad remodeling of the proteome in the barrel cortex. In addition, the abnormally large size of whisker-evoked cortical maps in adult Fmr1 knockout mice was corrected by rectifying the chloride imbalance during the early CP. These data demonstrate that correcting the disrupted driving force through GABA A receptors during the CP in cortical neurons restores their synaptic development, has an unexpectedly large effect on differentially expressed proteins, and produces a long-lasting correction of somatosensory circuit function in FXS mice.

Sensation during Active Behaviors

PubMed Central

Cardin, Jessica A.; Chiappe, M. Eugenia; Halassa, Michael M.; McGinley, Matthew J.; Yamashita, Takayuki

2017-01-01

A substantial portion of our sensory experience happens during active behaviors such as walking around or paying attention. How do sensory systems work during such behaviors? Neural processing in sensory systems can be shaped by behavior in multiple ways ranging from a modulation of responsiveness or sharpening of tuning to a dynamic change of response properties or functional connectivity. Here, we review recent findings on the modulation of sensory processing during active behaviors in different systems: insect vision, rodent thalamus, and rodent sensory cortices. We discuss the circuit-level mechanisms that might lead to these modulations and their potential role in sensory function. Finally, we highlight the open questions and future perspectives of this exciting new field. PMID:29118211

Common computational properties found in natural sensory systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Geoffrey

2009-05-01

Throughout the animal kingdom there are many existing sensory systems with capabilities desired by the human designers of new sensory and computational systems. There are a few basic design principles constantly observed among these natural mechano-, chemo-, and photo-sensory systems, principles that have been proven by the test of time. Such principles include non-uniform sampling and processing, topological computing, contrast enhancement by localized signal inhibition, graded localized signal processing, spiked signal transmission, and coarse coding, which is the computational transformation of raw data using broadly overlapping filters. These principles are outlined here with references to natural biological sensory systems as well as successful biomimetic sensory systems exploiting these natural design concepts.

Galileo Galilei's vision of the senses.

PubMed

Piccolino, Marco; Wade, Nicholas J

2008-11-01

Neuroscientists have become increasingly aware of the complexities and subtleties of sensory processing. This applies particularly to the complex elaborations of nerve signals that occur in the sensory circuits, sometimes at the very initial stages of sensory pathways. Sensory processing is now known to be very different from a simple neural copy of the physical signal present in the external world, and this accounts for the intricacy of neural organization that puzzled great investigators of neuroanatomy such as Santiago Ramón Y Cajal a century ago. It will surprise present-day sensory neuroscientists, applying their many modern methods, that the conceptual basis of the contemporary approach to sensory function had been recognized four centuries ago by Galileo Galilei.

Neuromorphic sensory systems.

PubMed

Liu, Shih-Chii; Delbruck, Tobi

2010-06-01

Biology provides examples of efficient machines which greatly outperform conventional technology. Designers in neuromorphic engineering aim to construct electronic systems with the same efficient style of computation. This task requires a melding of novel engineering principles with knowledge gleaned from neuroscience. We discuss recent progress in realizing neuromorphic sensory systems which mimic the biological retina and cochlea, and subsequent sensor processing. The main trends are the increasing number of sensors and sensory systems that communicate through asynchronous digital signals analogous to neural spikes; the improved performance and usability of these sensors; and novel sensory processing methods which capitalize on the timing of spikes from these sensors. Experiments using these sensors can impact how we think the brain processes sensory information. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic functional connectivity analysis reveals transient states of dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Damaraju, E; Allen, E A; Belger, A; Ford, J M; McEwen, S; Mathalon, D H; Mueller, B A; Pearlson, G D; Potkin, S G; Preda, A; Turner, J A; Vaidya, J G; van Erp, T G; Calhoun, V D

2014-01-01

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by functional dysconnectivity or abnormal integration between distant brain regions. Recent functional imaging studies have implicated large-scale thalamo-cortical connectivity as being disrupted in patients. However, observed connectivity differences in schizophrenia have been inconsistent between studies, with reports of hyperconnectivity and hypoconnectivity between the same brain regions. Using resting state eyes-closed functional imaging and independent component analysis on a multi-site data that included 151 schizophrenia patients and 163 age- and gender matched healthy controls, we decomposed the functional brain data into 100 components and identified 47 as functionally relevant intrinsic connectivity networks. We subsequently evaluated group differences in functional network connectivity, both in a static sense, computed as the pairwise Pearson correlations between the full network time courses (5.4 minutes in length), and a dynamic sense, computed using sliding windows (44 s in length) and k-means clustering to characterize five discrete functional connectivity states. Static connectivity analysis revealed that compared to healthy controls, patients show significantly stronger connectivity, i.e., hyperconnectivity, between the thalamus and sensory networks (auditory, motor and visual), as well as reduced connectivity (hypoconnectivity) between sensory networks from all modalities. Dynamic analysis suggests that (1), on average, schizophrenia patients spend much less time than healthy controls in states typified by strong, large-scale connectivity, and (2), that abnormal connectivity patterns are more pronounced during these connectivity states. In particular, states exhibiting cortical-subcortical antagonism (anti-correlations) and strong positive connectivity between sensory networks are those that show the group differences of thalamic hyperconnectivity and sensory hypoconnectivity. Group differences are weak or absent during other connectivity states. Dynamic analysis also revealed hypoconnectivity between the putamen and sensory networks during the same states of thalamic hyperconnectivity; notably, this finding cannot be observed in the static connectivity analysis. Finally, in post-hoc analyses we observed that the relationships between sub-cortical low frequency power and connectivity with sensory networks is altered in patients, suggesting different functional interactions between sub-cortical nuclei and sensorimotor cortex during specific connectivity states. While important differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls have been identified, one should interpret the results with caution given the history of medication in patients. Taken together, our results support and expand current knowledge regarding dysconnectivity in schizophrenia, and strongly advocate the use of dynamic analyses to better account for and understand functional connectivity differences.

Dynamic functional connectivity analysis reveals transient states of dysconnectivity in schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Damaraju, E.; Allen, E.A.; Belger, A.; Ford, J.M.; McEwen, S.; Mathalon, D.H.; Mueller, B.A.; Pearlson, G.D.; Potkin, S.G.; Preda, A.; Turner, J.A.; Vaidya, J.G.; van Erp, T.G.; Calhoun, V.D.

2014-01-01

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by functional dysconnectivity or abnormal integration between distant brain regions. Recent functional imaging studies have implicated large-scale thalamo-cortical connectivity as being disrupted in patients. However, observed connectivity differences in schizophrenia have been inconsistent between studies, with reports of hyperconnectivity and hypoconnectivity between the same brain regions. Using resting state eyes-closed functional imaging and independent component analysis on a multi-site data that included 151 schizophrenia patients and 163 age- and gender matched healthy controls, we decomposed the functional brain data into 100 components and identified 47 as functionally relevant intrinsic connectivity networks. We subsequently evaluated group differences in functional network connectivity, both in a static sense, computed as the pairwise Pearson correlations between the full network time courses (5.4 minutes in length), and a dynamic sense, computed using sliding windows (44 s in length) and k-means clustering to characterize five discrete functional connectivity states. Static connectivity analysis revealed that compared to healthy controls, patients show significantly stronger connectivity, i.e., hyperconnectivity, between the thalamus and sensory networks (auditory, motor and visual), as well as reduced connectivity (hypoconnectivity) between sensory networks from all modalities. Dynamic analysis suggests that (1), on average, schizophrenia patients spend much less time than healthy controls in states typified by strong, large-scale connectivity, and (2), that abnormal connectivity patterns are more pronounced during these connectivity states. In particular, states exhibiting cortical–subcortical antagonism (anti-correlations) and strong positive connectivity between sensory networks are those that show the group differences of thalamic hyperconnectivity and sensory hypoconnectivity. Group differences are weak or absent during other connectivity states. Dynamic analysis also revealed hypoconnectivity between the putamen and sensory networks during the same states of thalamic hyperconnectivity; notably, this finding cannot be observed in the static connectivity analysis. Finally, in post-hoc analyses we observed that the relationships between sub-cortical low frequency power and connectivity with sensory networks is altered in patients, suggesting different functional interactions between sub-cortical nuclei and sensorimotor cortex during specific connectivity states. While important differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls have been identified, one should interpret the results with caution given the history of medication in patients. Taken together, our results support and expand current knowledge regarding dysconnectivity in schizophrenia, and strongly advocate the use of dynamic analyses to better account for and understand functional connectivity differences. PMID:25161896

The Relationship between Sensory Processing Patterns and Behavioral Patterns in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nesayan, Abbas; Asadi Gandomani, Roghayeh; Movallali, Gita; Dunn, Winnie

2018-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between sensory processing patterns and behavioral patterns in children. The population consisted of all children in Tehran city. Participation included 229 school and 155 preschool children. We collected data using the Sensory Profile School Companion and Conners Teacher Rating Scale. Results showed that…

Feedforward and feedback motor control abnormalities implicate cerebellar dysfunctions in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Mosconi, Matthew W; Mohanty, Suman; Greene, Rachel K; Cook, Edwin H; Vaillancourt, David E; Sweeney, John A

2015-02-04

Sensorimotor abnormalities are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and among the earliest manifestations of the disorder. They have been studied far less than the social-communication and cognitive deficits that define ASD, but a mechanistic understanding of sensorimotor abnormalities in ASD may provide key insights into the neural underpinnings of the disorder. In this human study, we examined rapid, precision grip force contractions to determine whether feedforward mechanisms supporting initial motor output before sensory feedback can be processed are disrupted in ASD. Sustained force contractions also were examined to determine whether reactive adjustments to ongoing motor behavior based on visual feedback are altered. Sustained force was studied across multiple force levels and visual gains to assess motor and visuomotor mechanisms, respectively. Primary force contractions of individuals with ASD showed greater peak rate of force increases and large transient overshoots. Individuals with ASD also showed increased sustained force variability that scaled with force level and was more severe when visual gain was highly amplified or highly degraded. When sustaining a constant force level, their reactive adjustments were more periodic than controls, and they showed increased reliance on slower feedback mechanisms. Feedforward and feedback mechanism alterations each were associated with more severe social-communication impairments in ASD. These findings implicate anterior cerebellar circuits involved in feedforward motor control and posterior cerebellar circuits involved in transforming visual feedback into precise motor adjustments in ASD. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/352015-11$15.00/0.

Posterior insular cortex - a site of vestibular-somatosensory interaction?

PubMed

Baier, Bernhard; Zu Eulenburg, Peter; Best, Christoph; Geber, Christian; Müller-Forell, Wibke; Birklein, Frank; Dieterich, Marianne

2013-09-01

Background In previous imaging studies the insular cortex (IC) has been identified as an essential part of the processing of a wide spectrum of perception and sensorimotor integration. Yet, there are no systematic lesion studies in a sufficient number of patients examining whether processing of vestibular and the interaction of somatosensory and vestibular signals take place in the IC. Methods We investigated acute stroke patients with lesions affecting the IC in order to fill this gap. In detail, we explored signs of a vestibular tone imbalance such as the deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). We applied voxel-lesion behaviour mapping analysis in 27 patients with acute unilateral stroke. Results Our data demonstrate that patients with lesions of the posterior IC have an abnormal tilt of SVV. Furthermore, re-analysing data of 20 patients from a previous study, we found a positive correlation between thermal perception contralateral to the stroke and the severity of the SVV tilt. Conclusions We conclude that the IC is a sensory brain region where different modalities might interact.

Modulation of auditory processing during speech movement planning is limited in adults who stutter

PubMed Central

Daliri, Ayoub; Max, Ludo

2015-01-01

Stuttering is associated with atypical structural and functional connectivity in sensorimotor brain areas, in particular premotor, motor, and auditory regions. It remains unknown, however, which specific mechanisms of speech planning and execution are affected by these neurological abnormalities. To investigate pre-movement sensory modulation, we recorded 12 stuttering and 12 nonstuttering adults’ auditory evoked potentials in response to probe tones presented prior to speech onset in a delayed-response speaking condition vs. no-speaking control conditions (silent reading; seeing nonlinguistic symbols). Findings indicate that, during speech movement planning, the nonstuttering group showed a statistically significant modulation of auditory processing (reduced N1 amplitude) that was not observed in the stuttering group. Thus, the obtained results provide electrophysiological evidence in support of the hypothesis that stuttering is associated with deficiencies in modulating the cortical auditory system during speech movement planning. This specific sensorimotor integration deficiency may contribute to inefficient feedback monitoring and, consequently, speech dysfluencies. PMID:25796060

Restless 'rest': intrinsic sensory hyperactivity and disinhibition in post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Clancy, Kevin; Ding, Mingzhou; Bernat, Edward; Schmidt, Norman B; Li, Wen

2017-07-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by exaggerated threat response, and theoretical accounts to date have focused on impaired threat processing and dysregulated prefrontal-cortex-amygdala circuitry. Nevertheless, evidence is accruing for broad, threat-neutral sensory hyperactivity in post-traumatic stress disorder. As low-level, sensory processing impacts higher-order operations, such sensory anomalies can contribute to widespread dysfunctions, presenting an additional aetiological mechanism for post-traumatic stress disorder. To elucidate a sensory pathology of post-traumatic stress disorder, we examined intrinsic visual cortical activity (based on posterior alpha oscillations) and bottom-up sensory-driven causal connectivity (Granger causality in the alpha band) during a resting state (eyes open) and a passive, serial picture viewing state. Compared to patients with generalized anxiety disorder (n = 24) and healthy control subjects (n = 20), patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (n = 25) demonstrated intrinsic sensory hyperactivity (suppressed posterior alpha power, source-localized to the visual cortex-cuneus and precuneus) and bottom-up inhibition deficits (reduced posterior→frontal Granger causality). As sensory input increased from resting to passive picture viewing, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder failed to demonstrate alpha adaptation, highlighting a rigid, set mode of sensory hyperactivity. Interestingly, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder also showed heightened frontal processing (augmented frontal gamma power, source-localized to the superior frontal gyrus and dorsal cingulate cortex), accompanied by attenuated top-down inhibition (reduced frontal→posterior causality). Importantly, not only did suppressed alpha power and bottom-up causality correlate with heightened frontal gamma power, they also correlated with increased severity of sensory and executive dysfunctions (i.e. hypervigilance and impulse control deficits, respectively). Therefore, sensory aberrations help construct a vicious cycle in post-traumatic stress disorder that is in action even at rest, implicating dysregulated triangular sensory-prefrontal-cortex-amygdala circuitry: intrinsic sensory hyperactivity and disinhibition give rise to frontal overload and disrupt executive control, fuelling and perpetuating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Absent in generalized anxiety disorder, these aberrations highlight a unique sensory pathology of post-traumatic stress disorder (ruling out effects merely reflecting anxious hyperarousal), motivating new interventions targeting sensory processing and the sensory brain in these patients. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Congenital amusias.

PubMed

Tillmann, B; Albouy, P; Caclin, A

2015-01-01

In contrast to the sophisticated music processing reported in the general population, individuals with congenital amusia show deficits in music perception and production. Congenital amusia occurs without brain damage, sensory or cognitive deficits, and has been suggested as a lifelong deficit with genetic origin. Even though recognized for a long time, this disorder has been systematically studied only relatively recently for its behavioral and neural correlates. The currently most investigated hypothesis about the underlying deficits concerns the pitch dimension, notably with impaired pitch discrimination and memory. Anatomic and functional investigations of pitch processing revealed that the amusic brain presents abnormalities in the auditory and inferior frontal cortices, associated with decreased connectivity between these structures. The deficit also impairs processing of pitch in speech material and processing of the time dimension in music for some of the amusic individuals, but does not seem to affect spatial processing. Some studies suggest at least partial dissociation in the disorder between perception and production. Recent studies revealed spared implicit pitch perception in congenital amusia, supporting the power of implicit cognition in the music domain. Current challenges consist in defining different subtypes of congenital amusia as well as developing rehabilitation programs for this "musical handicap." © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thalamocortical functional connectivity in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is abnormally enhanced in executive-control and default-mode networks.

PubMed

Warren, Aaron E L; Abbott, David F; Jackson, Graeme D; Archer, John S

2017-12-01

To identify abnormal thalamocortical circuits in the severe epilepsy of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) that may explain the shared electroclinical phenotype and provide potential treatment targets. Twenty patients with a diagnosis of LGS (mean age = 28.5 years) and 26 healthy controls (mean age = 27.6 years) were compared using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The thalamus was parcellated according to functional connectivity with 10 cortical networks derived using group-level independent component analysis. For each cortical network, we assessed between-group differences in thalamic functional connectivity strength using nonparametric permutation-based tests. Anatomical locations were identified by quantifying spatial overlap with a histologically informed thalamic MRI atlas. In both groups, posterior thalamic regions showed functional connectivity with visual, auditory, and sensorimotor networks, whereas anterior, medial, and dorsal thalamic regions were connected with networks of distributed association cortex (including the default-mode, anterior-salience, and executive-control networks). Four cortical networks (left and right executive-control network; ventral and dorsal default-mode network) showed significantly enhanced thalamic functional connectivity strength in patients relative to controls. Abnormal connectivity was maximal in mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamic nuclei. Specific thalamocortical circuits are affected in LGS. Functional connectivity is abnormally enhanced between the mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamus and the default-mode and executive-control networks, thalamocortical circuits that normally support diverse cognitive processes. In contrast, thalamic regions connecting with primary and sensory cortical networks appear to be less affected. Our previous neuroimaging studies show that epileptic activity in LGS is expressed via the default-mode and executive-control networks. Results of the present study suggest that the mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamus may be candidate targets for modulating abnormal network behavior underlying LGS, potentially via emerging thalamic neurostimulation therapies. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

Locomotor sensory organization test: a novel paradigm for the assessment of sensory contributions in gait.

PubMed

Chien, Jung Hung; Eikema, Diderik-Jan Anthony; Mukherjee, Mukul; Stergiou, Nicholas

2014-12-01

Feedback based balance control requires the integration of visual, proprioceptive and vestibular input to detect the body's movement within the environment. When the accuracy of sensory signals is compromised, the system reorganizes the relative contributions through a process of sensory recalibration, for upright postural stability to be maintained. Whereas this process has been studied extensively in standing using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), less is known about these processes in more dynamic tasks such as locomotion. In the present study, ten healthy young adults performed the six conditions of the traditional SOT to quantify standing postural control when exposed to sensory conflict. The same subjects performed these six conditions using a novel experimental paradigm, the Locomotor SOT (LSOT), to study dynamic postural control during walking under similar types of sensory conflict. To quantify postural control during walking, the net Center of Pressure sway variability was used. This corresponds to the Performance Index of the center of pressure trajectory, which is used to quantify postural control during standing. Our results indicate that dynamic balance control during locomotion in healthy individuals is affected by the systematic manipulation of multisensory inputs. The sway variability patterns observed during locomotion reflect similar balance performance with standing posture, indicating that similar feedback processes may be involved. However, the contribution of visual input is significantly increased during locomotion, compared to standing in similar sensory conflict conditions. The increased visual gain in the LSOT conditions reflects the importance of visual input for the control of locomotion. Since balance perturbations tend to occur in dynamic tasks and in response to environmental constraints not present during the SOT, the LSOT may provide additional information for clinical evaluation on healthy and deficient sensory processing.

Sensory system plasticity in a visually specialized, nocturnal spider.

PubMed

Stafstrom, Jay A; Michalik, Peter; Hebets, Eileen A

2017-04-21

The interplay between an animal's environmental niche and its behavior can influence the evolutionary form and function of its sensory systems. While intraspecific variation in sensory systems has been documented across distant taxa, fewer studies have investigated how changes in behavior might relate to plasticity in sensory systems across developmental time. To investigate the relationships among behavior, peripheral sensory structures, and central processing regions in the brain, we take advantage of a dramatic within-species shift of behavior in a nocturnal, net-casting spider (Deinopis spinosa), where males cease visually-mediated foraging upon maturation. We compared eye diameters and brain region volumes across sex and life stage, the latter through micro-computed X-ray tomography. We show that mature males possess altered peripheral visual morphology when compared to their juvenile counterparts, as well as juvenile and mature females. Matching peripheral sensory structure modifications, we uncovered differences in relative investment in both lower-order and higher-order processing regions in the brain responsible for visual processing. Our study provides evidence for sensory system plasticity when individuals dramatically change behavior across life stages, uncovering new avenues of inquiry focusing on altered reliance of specific sensory information when entering a new behavioral niche.

Classifying sensory profiles of children in the general population.

PubMed

Little, L M; Dean, E; Tomchek, S D; Dunn, W

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to subtype groups of children in a community sample with and without developmental conditions, based on sensory processing patterns. We used latent profile analysis to determine the number of sensory subtypes in a sample of n = 1132 children aged 3-14 years with typical development and developmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. A five-subtype solution was found to best characterize the sample, which differed on overall degree and differential presentation of sensory processing patterns. Children with and without developmental conditions presented across subtypes, and one subtype was significantly younger in age than others (P < 0.05). Our results show that sensory subtypes include both children with typical development and those with developmental conditions. Sensory subtypes have previously been investigated in ASD only, and our results suggest that similar sensory subtypes are present in a sample reflective of the general population of children including those largely with typical development. Elevated scores on sensory processing patterns are not unique to ASD but rather are reflections of children's abilities to respond to environmental demands. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Electrophysiological measurements of diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review.

PubMed

Shabeeb, Dheyauldeen; Najafi, Masoud; Hasanzadeh, Gholamreza; Hadian, Mohammed Reza; Musa, Ahmed Eleojio; Shirazi, Alireza

2018-03-28

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the main complications of diabetes mellitus. One of the features of diabetic nerve damage is abnormality of sensory and motor nerve conduction study. An electrophysiological examination can be reproduced and is also a non-invasive approach in the assessment of peripheral nerve function. Population-based and clinical studies have been conducted to validate the sensitivity of these methods. When the diagnosis was based on clinical electrophysiological examination, abnormalities were observed in all patients. In this research, using a review design, we reviewed the issue of clinical electrophysiological examination of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in articles from 2008 to 2017. For this purpose, PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases of journals were used for searching articles. The researchers indicated that diabetes (both types) is a very disturbing health issue in the modern world and should be given serious attention. Based on conducted studies, it was demonstrated that there are different procedures for prevention and treatment of diabetes-related health problems such as diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). The first objective quantitative indication of the peripheral neuropathy is abnormality of sensory and motor nerve conduction tests. Electrophysiology is accurate, reliable and sensitive. It can be reproduced and also is a noninvasive approach in the assessment of peripheral nerve function. The methodological review has found that the best method for quantitative indication of the peripheral neuropathy compared with all other methods is clinical electrophysiological examination. For best results, standard protocols such as temperature control and equipment calibration are recommended. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The sensitivity and specificity of the neurological examination in polyneuropathy patients with clinical and electrophysiological correlations.

PubMed

Abraham, Alon; Alabdali, Majed; Alsulaiman, Abdulla; Albulaihe, Hana; Breiner, Ari; Katzberg, Hans D; Aljaafari, Danah; Lovblom, Leif E; Bril, Vera

2017-01-01

Polyneuropathy is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders. Although several studies explored the role of the neurological examination in polyneuropathy, they were mostly restricted to specific subgroups of patients and have not correlated examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. To explore the sensitivity and specificity of different neurological examination components in patients with diverse etiologies for polyneuropathy, find the most sensitive combination of examination components for polyneuropathy detection, and correlate examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. Patients with polyneuropathy attending the neuromuscular clinic from 01/2013 to 09/2015 were evaluated. Inclusion criteria included symptomatic polyneuropathy, which was confirmed by electrophysiological studies. 47 subjects with no symptoms or electrophysiological findings suggestive for polyneuropathy, served as controls. The total cohort included 312 polyneuropathy patients, with a mean age of 60±14 years. Abnormal examination was found in 95%, most commonly sensory findings (86%). The most common abnormal examination components were impaired ankle reflexes (74%), vibration (73%), and pinprick (72%) sensation. Combining ankle reflex examination with vibration or pinprick perception had the highest sensitivity, of 88%. The specificities of individual examination component were generally high, excluding ankle reflexes (62%), and vibration perception (77%). Abnormal examination findings were correlated with symptomatic weakness and worse electrophysiological parameters. The neurological examination is a valid, sensitive and specific tool for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and findings correlate with polyneuropathy severity. Ankle reflex examination combined with either vibration or pinprick sensory testing is the most sensitive combination for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and should be considered minimal essential components of the physical examination in patients with suspected polyneuropathy.

A genetic marker of the ACKR1 gene is present in patients with Type II congenital smell loss who have type I hyposmia and hypogeusia

PubMed Central

Stateman, William A.; Knöppel, Alexandra B.; Flegel, Willy A.; Henkin, Robert I.

2015-01-01

PURPOSE Our previous study of Type II congenital smell loss patients revealed a statistically significant lower prevalence of an FY (ACKR1, formerly DARC) haplotype compared to controls. The present study correlates this genetic feature with subgroups of patients defined by specific smell and taste functions. METHODS Smell and taste function measurements were performed by use of olfactometry and gustometry to define degree of abnormality of smell and taste function. Smell loss was classified as anosmia or hyposmia (types I, II or III). Taste loss was similarly classified as ageusia or hypogeusia (types I, II or III). Based upon these results patient erythrocyte antigen expression frequencies were categorized by smell and taste loss with results compared between patients within the Type II group and published controls. RESULTS Comparison of antigen expression frequencies revealed a statistically significant decrease in incidence of an Fyb haplotype only among patients with type I hyposmia and any form of taste loss (hypogeusia). In all other patient groups erythrocyte antigens were expressed at normal frequencies. CONCLUSIONS Data suggest that Type II congenital smell loss patients who exhibit both type I hyposmia and hypogeusia are genetically distinct from all other patients with Type II congenital smell loss. This distinction is based on decreased Fyb expression which correlated with abnormalities in two sensory modalities (hyposmia type I and hypogeusia). Only patients with these two specific sensory abnormalities expressed the Fyb antigen (encoded by the ACKR1 gene on the long arm of chromosome 1) at frequencies different from controls. PMID:27968956

Dissociating sensory from decision processes in human perceptual decision making.

PubMed

Mostert, Pim; Kok, Peter; de Lange, Floris P

2015-12-15

A key question within systems neuroscience is how the brain translates physical stimulation into a behavioral response: perceptual decision making. To answer this question, it is important to dissociate the neural activity underlying the encoding of sensory information from the activity underlying the subsequent temporal integration into a decision variable. Here, we adopted a decoding approach to empirically assess this dissociation in human magnetoencephalography recordings. We used a functional localizer to identify the neural signature that reflects sensory-specific processes, and subsequently traced this signature while subjects were engaged in a perceptual decision making task. Our results revealed a temporal dissociation in which sensory processing was limited to an early time window and consistent with occipital areas, whereas decision-related processing became increasingly pronounced over time, and involved parietal and frontal areas. We found that the sensory processing accurately reflected the physical stimulus, irrespective of the eventual decision. Moreover, the sensory representation was stable and maintained over time when it was required for a subsequent decision, but unstable and variable over time when it was task-irrelevant. In contrast, decision-related activity displayed long-lasting sustained components. Together, our approach dissects neuro-anatomically and functionally distinct contributions to perceptual decisions.

Dissociating sensory from decision processes in human perceptual decision making

PubMed Central

Mostert, Pim; Kok, Peter; de Lange, Floris P.

2015-01-01

A key question within systems neuroscience is how the brain translates physical stimulation into a behavioral response: perceptual decision making. To answer this question, it is important to dissociate the neural activity underlying the encoding of sensory information from the activity underlying the subsequent temporal integration into a decision variable. Here, we adopted a decoding approach to empirically assess this dissociation in human magnetoencephalography recordings. We used a functional localizer to identify the neural signature that reflects sensory-specific processes, and subsequently traced this signature while subjects were engaged in a perceptual decision making task. Our results revealed a temporal dissociation in which sensory processing was limited to an early time window and consistent with occipital areas, whereas decision-related processing became increasingly pronounced over time, and involved parietal and frontal areas. We found that the sensory processing accurately reflected the physical stimulus, irrespective of the eventual decision. Moreover, the sensory representation was stable and maintained over time when it was required for a subsequent decision, but unstable and variable over time when it was task-irrelevant. In contrast, decision-related activity displayed long-lasting sustained components. Together, our approach dissects neuro-anatomically and functionally distinct contributions to perceptual decisions. PMID:26666393

Sensory processing patterns predict the integration of information held in visual working memory.

PubMed

Lowe, Matthew X; Stevenson, Ryan A; Wilson, Kristin E; Ouslis, Natasha E; Barense, Morgan D; Cant, Jonathan S; Ferber, Susanne

2016-02-01

Given the limited resources of visual working memory, multiple items may be remembered as an averaged group or ensemble. As a result, local information may be ill-defined, but these ensemble representations provide accurate diagnostics of the natural world by combining gist information with item-level information held in visual working memory. Some neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by sensory processing profiles that predispose individuals to avoid or seek-out sensory stimulation, fundamentally altering their perceptual experience. Here, we report such processing styles will affect the computation of ensemble statistics in the general population. We identified stable adult sensory processing patterns to demonstrate that individuals with low sensory thresholds who show a greater proclivity to engage in active response strategies to prevent sensory overstimulation are less likely to integrate mean size information across a set of similar items and are therefore more likely to be biased away from the mean size representation of an ensemble display. We therefore propose the study of ensemble processing should extend beyond the statistics of the display, and should also consider the statistics of the observer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Neural conduction abnormality in the brain stem and prevalence of the abnormality in late preterm infants with perinatal problems.

PubMed

Jiang, Ze Dong

2013-08-01

Neurodevelopment in late preterm infants has recently attracted considerable interest. The prevalence of brain stem conduction abnormality remains unknown. We examined maximum length sequence brain stem auditory evoked response in 163 infants, born at 33-36 weeks gestation, who had various perinatal problems. Compared with 49 normal term infants without problems, the late preterm infants showed a significant increase in III-V and I-V interpeak intervals at all 91-910/s clicks, particularly at 455 and 910/s (p < 0.01-0.001). The I-III interval was slightly increased, without statistically significant difference from the controls at any click rates. These results suggest that neural conduction along the, mainly more central or rostral part of, auditory brain stem is abnormal in late preterm infants with perinatal problems. Of the 163 late preterm infant, the number (and percentage rate) of infants with abnormal I-V interval at 91, 227, 455, and 910/s clicks was, respectively, 11 (6.5%), 17 (10.2%), 37 (22.3%), and 31 (18.7%). The number (and percentage rate) of infants with abnormal III-V interval at these rates was, respectively, 10 (6.0%), 17 (10.2%), 28 (16.9), and 36 (21.2%). Apparently, the abnormal rates were much higher at 455 and 910/s clicks than at lower rates 91 and 227/s. In total, 42 (25.8%) infants showed abnormal I-V and/or III-V intervals. Conduction in, mainly in the more central part, the brain stem is abnormal in late preterm infants with perinatal problems. The abnormality is more detectable at high- than at low-rate sensory stimulation. A quarter of late preterm infants with perinatal problems have brain stem conduction abnormality.

Reported Sensory Processing of Children with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruni, Maryanne; Cameron, Debra; Dua, Shelly; Noy, Sarah

2010-01-01

Investigators have identified delays and differences in cognitive, language, motor, and sensory development in children with Down syndrome (DS). The purpose of this study was to determine the parent-reported frequency of sensory processing issues in children with DS aged 3-10 years, and the parent-reported functional impact of those sensory…

The Experience of Children Living with Sensory Processing Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scotch, Melissa Dawn

2017-01-01

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a neurological condition that alters the way an individual perceives sensory information. Although the condition has been studied for more than 40 years, SPD remains a difficult condition to diagnose, treat, and live with because it affects individuals uniquely, and the symptoms can change from childhood to…

Sensory Processing Relates to Attachment to Childhood Comfort Objects of College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalpidou, Maria

2012-01-01

The author tested the hypothesis that attachment to comfort objects is based on the sensory processing characteristics of the individual. Fifty-two undergraduate students with and without a childhood comfort object reported sensory responses and performed a tactile threshold task. Those with a comfort object described their object and rated their…

Low-level mechanisms for processing odor information in the behaving animal.

PubMed

Wachowiak, Matt; Wesson, Daniel W; Pírez, Nicolás; Verhagen, Justus V; Carey, Ryan M

2009-07-01

Sensory processing is typically thought to act on representations of sensory stimuli that are relatively fixed at low levels in the nervous system and become increasingly complex and subject to modulation at higher levels. Here we present recent findings from our laboratory demonstrating that, in the olfactory system, odor representations in the behaving animal can be transformed at low levels--as early as the primary sensory neurons themselves--via a variety of mechanisms. First, changes in odor sampling behavior, such as sniffing, can dramatically and rapidly alter primary odor representations by changing the strength and temporal structure of sensory input to the olfactory bulb, effectively shaping which features of the olfactory landscape are emphasized and likely altering how information is processed by the olfactory bulb network. Second, neural substrates exist for presynaptically modulating the strength of sensory input to the bulb as a function of behavioral state. The systems most likely to be involved in this modulation--cholinergic and serotonergic centrifugal inputs to the bulb--are linked to attention and arousal effects in other brain areas. Together, sniffing behavior and presynaptic inhibition have the potential to mediate, or at least contribute to, sensory processing phenomena, such as figure-ground separation, intensity invariance, and context-dependent and attentional modulation of response properties. Thus, "high order" processing can occur even before sensory neurons transmit information to the brain.

Extreme sensory processing patterns show a complex association with depression, and impulsivity, alexithymia, and hopelessness.

PubMed

Serafini, Gianluca; Gonda, Xenia; Canepa, Giovanna; Pompili, Maurizio; Rihmer, Zoltan; Amore, Mario; Engel-Yeger, Batya

2017-03-01

The involvement of extreme sensory processing patterns, impulsivity, alexithymia, and hopelessness was hypothesized to contribute to the complex pathophysiology of major depression and bipolar disorder. However, the nature of the relation between these variables has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to explore the association between extreme sensory processing patterns, impulsivity, alexithymia, depression, and hopelessness. We recruited 281 euthymic participants (mean age=47.4±12.1) of which 62.3% with unipolar major depression and 37.7% with bipolar disorder. All participants completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), second version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), and Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Lower registration of sensory input showed a significant correlation with depression, impulsivity, attentional/motor impulsivity, and alexithymia. It was significantly more frequent among participants with elevated hopelessness, and accounted for 22% of the variance in depression severity, 15% in greater impulsivity, 36% in alexithymia, and 3% in hopelessness. Elevated sensory seeking correlated with enhanced motor impulsivity and decreased non-planning impulsivity. Higher sensory sensitivity and sensory avoiding correlated with depression, impulsivity, and alexithymia. The study was limited by the relatively small sample size and cross-sectional nature of the study. Furthermore, only self-report measures that may be potentially biased by social desirability were used. Extreme sensory processing patterns, impulsivity, alexithymia, depression, and hopelessness may show a characteristic pattern in patients with major affective disorders. The careful assessment of sensory profiles may help in developing targeted interventions and improve functional/adaptive strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The anatomy and physiology of normal and abnormal swallowing in oropharyngeal dysphagia.

PubMed

Sasegbon, A; Hamdy, S

2017-11-01

Eating and drinking are enjoyable activities that positively impact on an individual's quality of life. The ability to swallow food and fluid is integral to the process of eating. Swallowing occupies a dual role being both part of the enjoyment of eating and being a critically important utilitarian activity to enable adequate nutrition and hydration. Any impairment to the process of swallowing can negatively affect a person's perception of their quality of life. The process of swallowing is highly complex and involves muscles in the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. The oropharynx is the anatomical region encompassing the oral cavity and the pharynx. Food must be masticated, formed into a bolus and transported to the pharynx by the tongue whereas fluids are usually held within the mouth before being transported ab-orally. The bolus must then be transported through the pharynx to the esophagus without any matter entering the larynx. The muscles needed for all these steps are coordinated by swallowing centers within the brainstem which are supplied with sensory information by afferent nerve fibers from several cranial nerves. The swallowing centers also receive modulatory input from higher centers within the brain. Hence, a swallow has both voluntary and involuntary physiologic components and the term dysphagia is given to difficult swallowing while oropharyngeal dysphagia is difficult swallowing due to pathology within the oropharynx. Problems affecting any point along the complex swallowing pathway can result in dysphagia. This review focuses on the anatomy and physiology behind normal and abnormal oropharyngeal swallowing. It also details the common diseases and pathology causing oropharyngeal dysphagia. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cerebral Palsy for the Pediatric Eye Care Team Part III: Diagnosis and Management of Associated Visual and Sensory Disorders.

PubMed

Arnoldi, Kyle A; Pendarvis, Lauren; Jackson, Jorie; Batra, Noopur Nikki Agarwal

2006-01-01

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a spectrum of deficits of muscle tone and posture resulting from damage to the developing nervous system. Though considered a motor disorder, CP can be associated with disorders of the sensory visual pathway. This paper, the final in a series of three articles, will present frequency, diagnosis, and management of the visual and binocular vision deficits associated with CP. Topics for discussion will include the prevalence and etiology of decreased acuity, the effect of CP on sensory and motor fusion, and the response to treatment for these sensory deficits. A retrospective chart review of all cases of cerebral palsy referred to the St. Louis Children's Hospital Eye Center was done. Detailed data on the sensory and motor deficits documented in these children was collected. Also recorded was the management strategy and response to treatment. Of the 131 cases reviewed (mean age 5.2 years at presentation), 46% had decreased vision in at least one eye due to amblyopia (24%), optic nerve abnormality (16%), cortical visual impairment (14%), or a combination. Forty-nine (37%) had significant refractive error. Sixty-four percent of those with significant refractive error responded to spectacle correction. Forty-three percent of those with amblyopia responded to conventional therapies. Of the nonstrabismic patients, 89% demonstrated sensory fusion, 90% had stereopsis, and 91% had motor fusion. No patient lacking fusion or stereopsis prior to strabismus surgery gained these abilities with realignment of the eyes. While children with CP are capable of age-appropriate acuity and binocular vision, they are at increased risk for sensory visual deficits. These deficits are not the direct result of CP itself, but either share a common underlying cause, or occur as sequelae to the strabismus that is prevalent in CP. Most importantly, some sensory deficits may respond to standard treatment methods.

Examining Sensory Modulation in Individuals with Autism as Compared to Community Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kern, Janet K.; Garver, Carolyn R.; Carmody, Thomas; Andrews, Alonzo A.; Mehta, Jyutika A.; Trivedi, Madhukar H.

2008-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine sensory modulation items on the Sensory Profile in individuals with autism as compared to community controls. The data for this study were collected as part of a cross-sectional study that examined sensory processing, using the Sensory Profile, in 103 individuals with autism and/or pervasive developmental…

Enhanced and bilateralized visual sensory processing in the ventral stream may be a feature of normal aging.

PubMed

De Sanctis, Pierfilippo; Katz, Richard; Wylie, Glenn R; Sehatpour, Pejman; Alexopoulos, George S; Foxe, John J

2008-10-01

Evidence has emerged for age-related amplification of basic sensory processing indexed by early components of the visual evoked potential (VEP). However, since these age-related effects have been incidental to the main focus of these studies, it is unclear whether they are performance dependent or alternately, represent intrinsic sensory processing changes. High-density VEPs were acquired from 19 healthy elderly and 15 young control participants who viewed alphanumeric stimuli in the absence of any active task. The data show both enhanced and delayed neural responses within structures of the ventral visual stream, with reduced hemispheric asymmetry in the elderly that may be indicative of a decline in hemispheric specialization. Additionally, considerably enhanced early frontal cortical activation was observed in the elderly, suggesting frontal hyper-activation. These age-related differences in early sensory processing are discussed in terms of recent proposals that normal aging involves large-scale compensatory reorganization. Our results suggest that such compensatory mechanisms are not restricted to later higher-order cognitive processes but may also be a feature of early sensory-perceptual processes.

On the dependence of response inhibition processes on sensory modality.

PubMed

Bodmer, Benjamin; Beste, Christian

2017-04-01

The ability to inhibit responses is a central sensorimotor function but only recently the importance of sensory processes for motor inhibition mechanisms went more into the research focus. In this regard it is elusive, whether there are differences between sensory modalities to trigger response inhibition processes. Due to functional neuroanatomical considerations strong differences may exist, for example, between the visual and the tactile modality. In the current study we examine what neurophysiological mechanisms as well as functional neuroanatomical networks are modulated during response inhibition. Therefore, a Go/NoGo-paradigm employing a novel combination of visual, tactile, and visuotactile stimuli was used. The data show that the tactile modality is more powerful than the visual modality to trigger response inhibition processes. However, the tactile modality loses its efficacy to trigger response inhibition processes when being combined with the visual modality. This may be due to competitive mechanisms leading to a suppression of certain sensory stimuli and the response selection level. Variations in sensory modalities specifically affected conflict monitoring processes during response inhibition by modulating activity in a frontal parietal network including the right inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and the temporoparietal junction. Attentional selection processes are not modulated. The results suggest that the functional neuroanatomical networks involved in response inhibition critically depends on the nature of the sensory input. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1941-1951, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Clinical, electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging findings in carpal tunnel syndrome.

PubMed

Musluoğlu, L; Celik, M; Tabak, H; Forta, H

2004-01-01

To assess magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and to compare them with electrophysiological findings. Routine motor and sensory nerve conduction examinations and needle EMG were performed in 42 hands of 22 patients, who were clinically diagnosed as having CTS in at least one wrist. Of 29 wrists with clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed CTS, MRI could detect abnormality in 18 wrists (62%). Median nerve was found to be abnormal in MRI in 1 of 2 wrists with suspected clinical symptoms and proven CTS by electrophysiological examination. MRI was abnormal in 1 of 4 wrists with normal clinical and electrophysiological examination. MRI was abnormal in 46, 7% of wrists with mild CTS, in 61.6% of moderate CTS and in 100% of severe CTS. Volar bulging of the flexor retinaculum was detected in a single wrist with severe CTS. Enlargement of median nerve was observed in 3 of 5 severe CTS. MRI could be useful in the diagnosis of unproven cases in CTS. It also provides anatomical information that correlate well with electrophysiological findings in regard of the severity of median nerve compression.

Croup

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... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

Rickets

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Sensory Processing Dysfunction in the Personal Experience and Neuronal Machinery of Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Javitt, Daniel C.; Freedman, Robert

2015-01-01

Sensory processing deficits, first investigated by Kraeplin and Bleuler as possible pathophysiological mechanisms in schizophrenia, are now being re-characterized in the context of modern understanding of the involved molecular and neurobiological brain mechanisms. The National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria position these deficits as intermediaries between molecular and cellular mechanisms and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations. The pre-pulse inhibition of startle responses by a weaker preceding tone, the inhibitory gating of response to paired sensory stimuli characterized using the auditory P50 evoked response, and the detection of slightly different stimuli that elicits the cortical Mismatch Negativity potential demonstrate deficits in early sensory processing mechanisms, whose molecular and neurobiological bases are increasingly well understood. Deficits in sensory processing underlie more complex cognitive dysfunction and, vice versa, are affected by higher-level cognitive difficulties. These deficits are now being used to identify genes involved in familial transmission of the illness and to monitor potentially therapeutic drug effects for both treatment and prevention. This research also provides a clinical reminder that patients’ sensory perception of the surrounding world, even during treatment sessions, may differ considerable from others’ perceptions. A person’s ability to understand and interact effectively with surrounding world ultimately depends upon an underlying sensory experience of it. PMID:25553496

Perspectives on Sensory Processing Disorder: A Call for Translational Research

PubMed Central

Miller, Lucy J.; Nielsen, Darci M.; Schoen, Sarah A.; Brett-Green, Barbara A.

2009-01-01

This article explores the convergence of two fields, which have similar theoretical origins: a clinical field originally known as sensory integration and a branch of neuroscience that conducts research in an area also called sensory integration. Clinically, the term was used to identify a pattern of dysfunction in children and adults, as well as a related theory, assessment, and treatment method for children who have atypical responses to ordinary sensory stimulation. Currently the term for the disorder is sensory processing disorder (SPD). In neuroscience, the term sensory integration refers to converging information in the brain from one or more sensory domains. A recent subspecialty in neuroscience labeled multisensory integration (MSI) refers to the neural process that occurs when sensory input from two or more different sensory modalities converge. Understanding the specific meanings of the term sensory integration intended by the clinical and neuroscience fields and the term MSI in neuroscience is critical. A translational research approach would improve exploration of crucial research questions in both the basic science and clinical science. Refinement of the conceptual model of the disorder and the related treatment approach would help prioritize which specific hypotheses should be studied in both the clinical and neuroscience fields. The issue is how we can facilitate a translational approach between researchers in the two fields. Multidisciplinary, collaborative studies would increase knowledge of brain function and could make a significant contribution to alleviating the impairments of individuals with SPD and their families. PMID:19826493

Diaper Rash

MedlinePlus

... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

Infant Jaundice

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... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

Meckel's Diverticulum

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Oscillations in sensorimotor cortex in movement disorders: an electrocorticography study.

PubMed

Crowell, Andrea L; Ryapolova-Webb, Elena S; Ostrem, Jill L; Galifianakis, Nicholas B; Shimamoto, Shoichi; Lim, Daniel A; Starr, Philip A

2012-02-01

Movement disorders of basal ganglia origin may arise from abnormalities in synchronized oscillatory activity in a network that includes the basal ganglia, thalamus and motor cortices. In humans, much has been learned from the study of basal ganglia local field potentials recorded from temporarily externalized deep brain stimulator electrodes. These studies have led to the theory that Parkinson's disease has characteristic alterations in the beta frequency band (13-30 Hz) in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical network. However, different disorders have rarely been compared using recordings in the same structure under the same behavioural conditions, limiting straightforward assessment of current hypotheses. To address this, we utilized subdural electrocorticography to study cortical oscillations in the three most common movement disorders: Parkinson's disease, primary dystonia and essential tremor. We recorded local field potentials from the arm area of primary motor and sensory cortices in 31 subjects using strip electrodes placed temporarily during routine surgery for deep brain stimulator placement. We show that: (i) primary motor cortex broadband gamma power is increased in Parkinson's disease compared with the other conditions, both at rest and during a movement task; (ii) primary motor cortex high beta (20-30 Hz) power is increased in Parkinson's disease during the 'stop' phase of a movement task; (iii) the alpha-beta peaks in the motor and sensory cortical power spectra occur at higher frequencies in Parkinson's disease than in the other two disorders; and (iv) patients with dystonia have impaired movement-related beta band desynchronization in primary motor and sensory cortices. The findings support the emerging hypothesis that disease states reflect abnormalities in synchronized oscillatory activity. This is the first study of sensorimotor cortex local field potentials in the three most common movement disorders.

Quantitative sensory testing in the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): reference data for the trunk and application in patients with chronic postherpetic neuralgia.

PubMed

Pfau, Doreen B; Krumova, Elena K; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Baron, Ralf; Toelle, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Eich, Wolfgang; Geber, Christian; Gerhardt, Andreas; Weiss, Thomas; Magerl, Walter; Maier, Christoph

2014-05-01

Age- and gender-matched reference values are essential for the clinical use of quantitative sensory testing (QST). To extend the standard test sites for QST-according to the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain-to the trunk, we collected QST profiles on the back in 162 healthy subjects. Sensory profiles for standard test sites were within normal interlaboratory differences. QST revealed lower sensitivity on the upper back than the hand, and higher sensitivity on the lower back than the foot, but no systematic differences between these trunk sites. Age effects were significant for most parameters. Females exhibited lower pressure pain thresholds (PPT) than males, which was the only significant gender difference. Values outside the 95% confidence interval of healthy subjects (considered abnormal) required temperature changes of >3.3-8.2 °C for thermal detection. For cold pain thresholds, confidence intervals extended mostly beyond safety cutoffs, hence only relative reference data (left-right differences, hand-trunk differences) were sufficiently sensitive. For mechanical detection and pain thresholds, left-right differences were 1.5-2.3 times more sensitive than absolute reference data. The most sensitive parameter was PPT, where already side-to-side differences >35% were abnormal. Compared to trunk reference data, patients with postherpetic neuralgia exhibited thermal and tactile deficits and dynamic mechanical allodynia, mostly without reduced mechanical pain thresholds. This pattern deviates from other types of neuropathic pain. QST reference data for the trunk will also be useful for patients with postthoracotomy pain or chronic back pain. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prenatal thalamic waves regulate cortical area size prior to sensory processing.

PubMed

Moreno-Juan, Verónica; Filipchuk, Anton; Antón-Bolaños, Noelia; Mezzera, Cecilia; Gezelius, Henrik; Andrés, Belen; Rodríguez-Malmierca, Luis; Susín, Rafael; Schaad, Olivier; Iwasato, Takuji; Schüle, Roland; Rutlin, Michael; Nelson, Sacha; Ducret, Sebastien; Valdeolmillos, Miguel; Rijli, Filippo M; López-Bendito, Guillermina

2017-02-03

The cerebral cortex is organized into specialized sensory areas, whose initial territory is determined by intracortical molecular determinants. Yet, sensory cortical area size appears to be fine tuned during development to respond to functional adaptations. Here we demonstrate the existence of a prenatal sub-cortical mechanism that regulates the cortical areas size in mice. This mechanism is mediated by spontaneous thalamic calcium waves that propagate among sensory-modality thalamic nuclei up to the cortex and that provide a means of communication among sensory systems. Wave pattern alterations in one nucleus lead to changes in the pattern of the remaining ones, triggering changes in thalamic gene expression and cortical area size. Thus, silencing calcium waves in the auditory thalamus induces Rorβ upregulation in a neighbouring somatosensory nucleus preluding the enlargement of the barrel-field. These findings reveal that embryonic thalamic calcium waves coordinate cortical sensory area patterning and plasticity prior to sensory information processing.

The Sensory Environment and Participation of Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Piller, Aimee; Pfeiffer, Beth

2016-07-01

Sensory processing is recognized as impacting participation for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little research exists to examine the impact of the sensory environment on the participation patterns of children with ASD, specifically from a contextual standpoint. The researchers in this study examined the viewpoint of teachers and occupational therapists on the sensory-related environmental barriers to participation within the preschool context. Qualitative descriptive methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Thirteen preschool teachers and occupational therapists were interviewed. Sensory aspects of the environment both inhibited and enhanced participation. Physical and temporal components of the environment are identified as being the most influential. Modifications of the environment are identified as increasing participation. It is important to consider the sensory aspects of the environment, in addition to the sensory processing patterns of the person in assessment and intervention planning within the preschool environment. © The Author(s) 2016.

Prenatal thalamic waves regulate cortical area size prior to sensory processing

PubMed Central

Moreno-Juan, Verónica; Filipchuk, Anton; Antón-Bolaños, Noelia; Mezzera, Cecilia; Gezelius, Henrik; Andrés, Belen; Rodríguez-Malmierca, Luis; Susín, Rafael; Schaad, Olivier; Iwasato, Takuji; Schüle, Roland; Rutlin, Michael; Nelson, Sacha; Ducret, Sebastien; Valdeolmillos, Miguel; Rijli, Filippo M.; López-Bendito, Guillermina

2017-01-01

The cerebral cortex is organized into specialized sensory areas, whose initial territory is determined by intracortical molecular determinants. Yet, sensory cortical area size appears to be fine tuned during development to respond to functional adaptations. Here we demonstrate the existence of a prenatal sub-cortical mechanism that regulates the cortical areas size in mice. This mechanism is mediated by spontaneous thalamic calcium waves that propagate among sensory-modality thalamic nuclei up to the cortex and that provide a means of communication among sensory systems. Wave pattern alterations in one nucleus lead to changes in the pattern of the remaining ones, triggering changes in thalamic gene expression and cortical area size. Thus, silencing calcium waves in the auditory thalamus induces Rorβ upregulation in a neighbouring somatosensory nucleus preluding the enlargement of the barrel-field. These findings reveal that embryonic thalamic calcium waves coordinate cortical sensory area patterning and plasticity prior to sensory information processing. PMID:28155854

Perceptual Decisions in the Presence of Relevant and Irrelevant Sensory Evidence

PubMed Central

Anders, Ursula M.; McLean, Charlotte S.; Ouyang, Bowen; Ditterich, Jochen

2017-01-01

Perceptual decisions in the presence of decision-irrelevant sensory information require a selection of decision-relevant sensory evidence. To characterize the mechanism that is responsible for separating decision-relevant from irrelevant sensory information we asked human subjects to make judgments about one of two simultaneously present motion components in a random dot stimulus. Subjects were able to ignore the decision-irrelevant component to a large degree, but their decisions were still influenced by the irrelevant sensory information. Computational modeling revealed that this influence was not simply the consequence of subjects forgetting at times which stimulus component they had been instructed to base their decision on. Instead, residual irrelevant information always seems to be leaking through, and the decision process is captured by a net sensory evidence signal being accumulated to a decision threshold. This net sensory evidence is a linear combination of decision-relevant and irrelevant sensory information. The selection process is therefore well-described by a strong linear gain modulation, which, in our experiment, resulted in the relevant sensory evidence having at least 10 times more impact on the decision than the irrelevant evidence. PMID:29176941

Perceptual Decisions in the Presence of Relevant and Irrelevant Sensory Evidence.

PubMed

Anders, Ursula M; McLean, Charlotte S; Ouyang, Bowen; Ditterich, Jochen

2017-01-01

Perceptual decisions in the presence of decision-irrelevant sensory information require a selection of decision-relevant sensory evidence. To characterize the mechanism that is responsible for separating decision-relevant from irrelevant sensory information we asked human subjects to make judgments about one of two simultaneously present motion components in a random dot stimulus. Subjects were able to ignore the decision-irrelevant component to a large degree, but their decisions were still influenced by the irrelevant sensory information. Computational modeling revealed that this influence was not simply the consequence of subjects forgetting at times which stimulus component they had been instructed to base their decision on. Instead, residual irrelevant information always seems to be leaking through, and the decision process is captured by a net sensory evidence signal being accumulated to a decision threshold. This net sensory evidence is a linear combination of decision-relevant and irrelevant sensory information. The selection process is therefore well-described by a strong linear gain modulation, which, in our experiment, resulted in the relevant sensory evidence having at least 10 times more impact on the decision than the irrelevant evidence.

A Motion-Sensing Game-Based Therapy to Foster the Learning of Children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuang, Tsung-Yen; Kuo, Ming-Shiou

2016-01-01

Children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID, also known as Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD) are also learners with disabilities with regard to responding adequately to the demands made by a learning environment. With problems of organizing and processing the sensation information coming from body modalities, children with SID (CwSID)…

Increased Sensory Processing Atypicalities in Parents of Multiplex ASD Families versus Typically Developing and Simplex ASD Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donaldson, Chelsea K.; Stauder, Johannes E. A.; Donkers, Franc C. L.

2017-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that sensory processing atypicalities may share genetic influences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To further investigate this, the adolescent/adult sensory profile (AASP) questionnaire was distributed to 85 parents of typically developing children (P-TD), 121 parents from simplex ASD families (SPX), and 54…

Effects of Speaking Rate on Word Recognition in Parkinson’s Disease and Normal Aging

PubMed Central

Forrest, Karen; Nygaard, Lynne; Pisoni, David B.; Siemers, Eric

2011-01-01

Current theories of basal ganglia function emphasize their role in the integration of sensory information into motor activities, particularly in the control of movement timing. People with basal ganglia disorders such as Parkinson’s disease exhibit poor temporal control of movements, in general and articulation in particular, as demonstrated by irregular speaking rate, reduced stress contrasts, and reduced movement durations and velocities. Previous research has implicated sensory deficits as contributory factors in limb movement control in patients with Parkinson’s disease; however, the relation between sensory deficits and speech-movement abnormalities has not been documented. In the present study, the existence of perceptual processing difficulties of speaking rate was investigated in subjects with Parkinsonian dysarthria (PD). Comparisons in perception were made between subjects with PD, neurologically normal geriatrics (GN) and neurologically normal young adults (YN) for accuracy in identification of words presented at different speaking rates. We hypothesized that word-identification scores would be lower for PD and GN subjects compared to the YN subjects, an effect that was supported by the data. We also expected that there would be differences between the GN and PD subjects in their accuracy of word identification at a faster speaking rate, an hypothesis that was not supported by the data. Rather, GN and PD subjects differed in identification scores for words spoken at a slow rate. PD subjects who had faster habitual speaking rates (HSR) had significantly lower word-identification scores in the slow compared to conversational rate conditions, a relation that was significant r = +0.64). These data suggest the need to consider perceptual deficits as an additional factor that contributes to rate variations in PD speech. PMID:21637728

Neurogenetics of developmental dyslexia: from genes to behavior through brain neuroimaging and cognitive and sensorial mechanisms

PubMed Central

Mascheretti, S; De Luca, A; Trezzi, V; Peruzzo, D; Nordio, A; Marino, C; Arrigoni, F

2017-01-01

Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a complex neurodevelopmental deficit characterized by impaired reading acquisition, in spite of adequate neurological and sensorial conditions, educational opportunities and normal intelligence. Despite the successful characterization of DD-susceptibility genes, we are far from understanding the molecular etiological pathways underlying the development of reading (dis)ability. By focusing mainly on clinical phenotypes, the molecular genetics approach has yielded mixed results. More optimally reduced measures of functioning, that is, intermediate phenotypes (IPs), represent a target for researching disease-associated genetic variants and for elucidating the underlying mechanisms. Imaging data provide a viable IP for complex neurobehavioral disorders and have been extensively used to investigate both morphological, structural and functional brain abnormalities in DD. Performing joint genetic and neuroimaging studies in humans is an emerging strategy to link DD-candidate genes to the brain structure and function. A limited number of studies has already pursued the imaging–genetics integration in DD. However, the results are still not sufficient to unravel the complexity of the reading circuit due to heterogeneous study design and data processing. Here, we propose an interdisciplinary, multilevel, imaging–genetic approach to disentangle the pathways from genes to behavior. As the presence of putative functional genetic variants has been provided and as genetic associations with specific cognitive/sensorial mechanisms have been reported, new hypothesis-driven imaging–genetic studies must gain momentum. This approach would lead to the optimization of diagnostic criteria and to the early identification of ‘biologically at-risk’ children, supporting the definition of adequate and well-timed prevention strategies and the implementation of novel, specific remediation approach. PMID:28045463

Sexual function and erection capability among young men with spina bifida.

PubMed

Sandler, A D; Worley, G; Leroy, E C; Stanley, S D; Kalman, S

1996-09-01

In a study of sexual function and erection capability, 15 young men with spina bifida were interviewed, underwent physical examination, and completed two consecutive night recordings of penile tumescence and rigidity with the Rigi-Scan (Dacomed Inc.). Eleven reported erections with stimulation. Rigi-Scan data showed that two subjects (both with lesions at the sacral level) had normal numbers and durations of erections, that seven others had abnormally brief and infrequent nocturnal erections, and that six had none. Ten subjects had at least 'some' glans sensation on physical examination. Self-reported erection capability was related to motor level and glans sensation. The number of nocturnal erections was related to sensory level. The study suggests that lower motor and sensory levels are associated with greater potential sexual function in males with spina bifida.

Clinical and electrodiagnostic characteristics of nitrous oxide-induced neuropathy in Taiwan.

PubMed

Li, Han-Tao; Chu, Chun-Che; Chang, Kuo-Hsuan; Liao, Ming-Feng; Chang, Hong-Shiu; Kuo, Hung-Chou; Lyu, Rong-Kuo

2016-10-01

Nitrous oxide-induced neuropathy is toxic neuropathy occasionally encountered in Taiwanese neurological clinics. Only several case reports described their electrodiagnostic features. We used a case-control design to investigate the detailed electrodiagnostic characteristics and possible factors relating to severe nerve injury. We retrospectively reviewed 33 patients with nitrous oxide-induced neuropathy over a 10-year period and reported their demographic data, spinal cord MRI, laboratory examinations and nerve conduction studies. 56 healthy controls' nerve conduction studies were collected for comparison analysis. We noted significant motor and sensory amplitudes reduction, conduction velocities slowing, and latencies prolongation in most tested nerves compared to the controls. Similar nerve conduction study characteristics with prominent lower limbs' motor and sensory amplitudes reduction was observed in patient groups with or without abnormal vitamin B12 and/or homocysteine levels. Among those with lower limbs' motor or sensory amplitudes reduction <20% of the lower limit of normal, higher homocysteine levels were detected. Severe impairments of the lower limbs' sensory and motor amplitudes were frequently noted in patients with nitrous oxide exposure. Nitrous oxide exposure itself is an important factor for the development of neuropathy. Our study contributes to the understanding of electrodiagnostic features underlying the nitrous oxide-induced neuropathy. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are evolutionary hypotheses for motion sickness "just-so" stories?

PubMed

Oman, Charles M

2012-01-01

Vertebrates have evolved rapidly conditionable nausea and vomiting reflexes mediated by gut and brainstem receptors, clearly as a defense against neurotoxin ingestion. In 1977 Treisman proposed that sensory orientation linkages to emetic centers evolved for the same reason, and that motion sickness was an accidental byproduct. It was an "adaptationist" explanation for motion sickness, since it assumed that evolution has shaped all phenotypic traits for survival advantage. Treisman's "poison" theory is plausible, and frequently cited as the accepted scientific explanation for motion sickness. However, alternative explanations have been proposed. The creation of hypotheses is an essential part of science - provided they are testable. This paper reviews the evidence for the Poison theory and several other adaptationist explanations. These hypotheses are certainly not "just-so stories", but supporting evidence is equivocal, and contradictory evidence exists Parsimony suggests an alternative "pluralistic" view: The vertebrate reticular formation maintains oxygenated blood flow to the brain, discriminates unexpected sensory stimuli- including postural disturbances, and detects and expels ingested neurotoxins. The three systems share neuroarchitectural elements but normally function independently. Brainstem sensory conflict neurons normally discriminate brief postural disturbances, but can be abnormally stimulated during prolonged passive transport (e.g. by boat, beginning about 150-200 generations ago). Sensory conflict signals cross couple into the neurotoxin expulsion and avoidance system, producing an arguably maladaptive emetic phenotype.

The Role of Sensory Modulation Deficits and Behavioral Symptoms in a Diagnosis for Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Robles, Ruth; Doval, Eduardo; Jane, Ma Claustre; da Silva, Pedro Caldeira; Papoila, Ana Luisa; Virella, Daniel

2013-01-01

To contribute to the validation of the sensory and behavioral criteria for Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing (RDSP) (DC:0-3R, 2005), this study examined a sample of toddlers in a clinical setting to analyze: (1) the severity of sensory modulation deficits and the behavioral symptoms of RDSP; (2) the associations between sensory and…

Shortness of Breath

MedlinePlus

... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

Electrotactile and vibrotactile displays for sensory substitution systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaczmarek, Kurt A.; Webster, John G.; Bach-Y-rita, Paul; Tompkins, Willis J.

1991-01-01

Sensory substitution systems provide their users with environmental information through a human sensory channel (eye, ear, or skin) different from that normally used or with the information processed in some useful way. The authors review the methods used to present visual, auditory, and modified tactile information to the skin and discuss present and potential future applications of sensory substitution, including tactile vision substitution (TVS), tactile auditory substitution, and remote tactile sensing or feedback (teletouch). The relevant sensory physiology of the skin, including the mechanisms of normal touch and the mechanisms and sensations associated with electrical stimulation of the skin using surface electrodes (electrotactile, or electrocutaneous, stimulation), is reviewed. The information-processing ability of the tactile sense and its relevance to sensory substitution is briefly summarized. The limitations of current tactile display technologies are discussed.

Sensory processing disorder: any of a nurse practitioner's business?

PubMed

Byrne, Mary W

2009-06-01

Children who exhibit the confusing symptom patterns associated with sensory processing deficits are often seen first by primary care providers, including family and pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs). The purpose of this article is to alert NPs to the state of the science for these disorders and to the roles NPs could play in filling the knowledge gaps in assessment, treatment, education, and research. Literature searches using PubMed and MedLine databases and clinical practice observations. Sensory integration disorders have only begun to be defined during the past 35 years. They are not currently included in the DSM IV standard terminology, and are not yet substantively incorporated into most health disciplines' curricula or practice, including those of the NP. NPs are in a unique position to test hypothesized terminology for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by contributing precise clinical descriptions of children who match as well as deviate from the criteria for three proposed diagnostic groups: Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD), Sensory Discrimination Disorder (SDD), and Sensory-Based Motor Disorder (SBMD). Beyond the SPD diagnostic debate, for children with sensory deficit patterns the NP role can incorporate participating in interdisciplinary treatment plans, refining differential diagnoses, providing frontline referral and support for affected children and their families, and making both secondary prevention and critical causal research possible through validation of consistently accepted diagnostic criteria.

Environmental Enrichment of Laboratory Rodents: The Answer Depends on the Question

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

that offer enhanced sensory , motor, and cognitive stimulation of brain neuronal systems in comparison with standard caging13 and, alternatively, as...benefit the animal in a signifi- cant way in terms of stimulation of positive species-typical behaviors and/or prevention of abnormal or undesirable...naturalistic nesting materials, as compared with less natural substitutes, al- lows laboratory mice to construct complex dome-shaped, multi - layered nests

Language-Universal Sensory Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia: English, Spanish, and Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goswami, Usha; Wang, H.-L. Sharon; Cruz, Alicia; Fosker, Tim; Mead, Natasha; Huss, Martina

2011-01-01

Studies in sensory neuroscience reveal the critical importance of accurate sensory perception for cognitive development. There is considerable debate concerning the possible sensory correlates of "phonological processing", the primary cognitive risk factor for developmental dyslexia. Across languages, children with dyslexia have a specific…

Anti-Ma2 associated paraneoplastic neurological syndrome presenting as encephalitis and progressive muscular atrophy.

PubMed

Waragai, M; Chiba, A; Uchibori, A; Fukushima, T; Anno, M; Tanaka, K

2006-01-01

A 36 year old man with a history of testicular germ cell tumour presented six months after bilateral orchidectomy with progressive amnesia, irritability, vertical gaze palsy, and generalised seizures. Eight months after initial onset of symptoms, he demonstrated a head drop with muscular atrophy of the upper limbs, shoulder girdle, and posterior neck. He reported no sensory disturbances and his sensory examination was normal. The overall clinical presentation was consistent with motor neurone disease. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed mild pleocytosis and increased protein concentration. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid were positive for the anti-Ma2 antibody by western blot analysis and immunostaining. Abnormal high signal in the grey matter was noted in the cervical spinal cord and brain by T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiepileptic medication. The patient improved clinically and symptom progression ceased after initiation of treatment. There was complete resolution of the abnormal brain MRI lesions; however, the cervical spinal cord MRI lesion and muscular atrophy remained unchanged. It is suggested that the anti-Ma2 antibody is involved not only in encephalitis, but may also play a role in the cervical spinal cord lesions resulting in a motor neurone disease-like presentation.

Anti‐Ma2 associated paraneoplastic neurological syndrome presenting as encephalitis and progressive muscular atrophy

PubMed Central

Waragai, M; Chiba, A; Uchibori, A; Fukushima, T; Anno, M; Tanaka, K

2006-01-01

A 36 year old man with a history of testicular germ cell tumour presented six months after bilateral orchidectomy with progressive amnesia, irritability, vertical gaze palsy, and generalised seizures. Eight months after initial onset of symptoms, he demonstrated a head drop with muscular atrophy of the upper limbs, shoulder girdle, and posterior neck. He reported no sensory disturbances and his sensory examination was normal. The overall clinical presentation was consistent with motor neurone disease. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed mild pleocytosis and increased protein concentration. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid were positive for the anti‐Ma2 antibody by western blot analysis and immunostaining. Abnormal high signal in the grey matter was noted in the cervical spinal cord and brain by T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient was treated with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiepileptic medication. The patient improved clinically and symptom progression ceased after initiation of treatment. There was complete resolution of the abnormal brain MRI lesions; however, the cervical spinal cord MRI lesion and muscular atrophy remained unchanged. It is suggested that the anti‐Ma2 antibody is involved not only in encephalitis, but may also play a role in the cervical spinal cord lesions resulting in a motor neurone disease‐like presentation. PMID:16361608

N-hexane neuropathy with vertigo and cold allodynia in a silk screen printer: A case study.

PubMed

Pradhan, Sunil; Tandon, Ruchika

2015-01-01

N-hexane neuropathy is an occupational disease caused by exposure to n-hexane, which is used as a solvent in silk screen printing. Here, we describe a 35-year-old man, a silk screen printer by profession, who presented with dizziness, distal swelling of both lower limbs for 10 months and tingling and burning sensation in both feet for 9.5 months along with cold allodynia. The patient had normal results of a motor and sensory system examination, apart from an impaired temperature sense. Nerve conduction tests showed a conduction block in bilateral common peroneal nerves and absence of conduction in bilateral sural nerves. These symptoms resolved when further exposure to n-hexane was ceased but cold allodynia remained. Thus, cold allodynia and impaired temperature sense can be a manifestation of n-hexane neuropathy. Hence, abnormalities on nerve conduction studies can be detected in n-hexane neuropathy patients, even before clinical examination detects any such abnormalities. In the case of the patients presenting with sensory motor neuropathy, history of occupational exposure to n-hexane becomes important, as the sooner the disease is detected, the better the chances of recovery. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

[Association between autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy in children].

PubMed

Mei, Song-Li; Zhang, Zhao; Liu, Xin; Gao, Ting-Ting; Peng, Xin-Xian

2017-05-01

To examine the association between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy in children. A total of 190 children with ASD were enrolled. A self-designed questionnaire, Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and Autism Behavior Checklist were used to determine the association between ASD and epilepsy. Among the 190 children with ASD, 20 (10.5%) had epileptic seizures and 12 (6.3%) were diagnosed with epilepsy. The rates of abnormal physical development and hearing disorders before the age of one year were significantly higher in ASD children with epileptic seizures than in those without epileptic seizures (P<0.05). The ASD children diagnosed with epilepsy and those receiving epilepsy treatment had a significantly increased rate of abnormal physical development before the age of one year (P<0.05). The ASD children with epileptic seizures had poorer sensory responses and behavioral competencies than those without epileptic seizures (P<0.05). Epilepsy treatment have a positive effect on behavioral competencies in ASD children (P<0.05). There is a significant association between ASD and epilepsy in children. The possibility of the comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy may be assessed according to the status of growth and development before the age of one year, sensory responses and behavioral competencies, and the presence or absence of epileptic seizures.

The Variant p.(Arg183Trp) in SPTLC2 Causes Late-Onset Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy.

PubMed

Suriyanarayanan, Saranya; Auranen, Mari; Toppila, Jussi; Paetau, Anders; Shcherbii, Maria; Palin, Eino; Wei, Yu; Lohioja, Tarja; Schlotter-Weigel, Beate; Schön, Ulrike; Abicht, Angela; Rautenstrauss, Bernd; Tyynismaa, Henna; Walter, Maggie C; Hornemann, Thorsten; Ylikallio, Emil

2016-03-01

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy 1 (HSAN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder that can be caused by variants in SPTLC1 or SPTLC2, encoding subunits of serine palmitoyl-CoA transferase. Disease variants alter the enzyme's substrate specificity and lead to accumulation of neurotoxic 1-deoxysphingolipids. We describe two families with autosomal dominant HSAN1C caused by a new variant in SPTLC2, c.547C>T, p.(Arg183Trp). The variant changed a conserved amino acid and was not found in public variant databases. All patients had a relatively mild progressive distal sensory impairment, with onset after age 50. Small fibers were affected early, leading to abnormalities on quantitative sensory testing. Sural biopsy revealed a severe chronic axonal neuropathy with subtotal loss of myelinated axons, relatively preserved number of non-myelinated fibers and no signs for regeneration. Skin biopsy with PGP9.5 labeling showed lack of intraepidermal nerve endings early in the disease. Motor manifestations developed later in the disease course, but there was no evidence of autonomic involvement. Patients had elevated serum 1-deoxysphingolipids, and the variant protein produced elevated amounts of 1-deoxysphingolipids in vitro, which proved the pathogenicity of the variant. Our results expand the genetic spectrum of HSAN1C and provide further detail about the clinical characteristics. Sequencing of SPTLC2 should be considered in all patients presenting with mild late-onset sensory-predominant small or large fiber neuropathy.

[Guitarist's cramp: management with sensory re-education].

PubMed

Chaná-Cuevas, P; Kunstmann-Rioseco, C; Rodríguez-Riquelme, T

Dystonia is defined as a sustained co-contraction of agonistic and antagonistic muscles that can cause twisting, twitching and abnormal postures. Occupational dystonias are included in a special group of pathologies that are secondary to a repeated effort related to the professional activity carried out by the sufferer, as can occur in guitarists, violinists and trumpet players, for example. Its pathophysiology includes descriptions of disorders affecting the peripheral and central nervous systems. Studies conducted in monkeys have shown that, through sensory stimulation, repeated movements can give rise to central anomalies in the somatosensory cortex, with growth of the receptive fields that are stimulated and deformation of the separations between those fields. We describe the case of a professional guitarist with a seven-year history of symptoms. A neurological examination revealed a co-contraction in the right hand that triggered the extension of the index and little fingers, which made it difficult for him to play his instrument. The patient was submitted to sensory re-education therapy with the use of a splint and a two-month routine of exercises. The response was evaluated using a subjective scale of the patient's symptoms and measurements of the maximum angles of flexion and extension of the affected fingers. Both methods reduced the patient's discomfort and allowed him to exhibit greater skill when playing the guitar. Occupational dystonias produced by repeated stimulation present alterations in the sensory region of the cortex, with the involvement of motor performance that improves with sensory re-education therapy.

Motor and sensory neuropathy due to myelin infolding and paranodal damage in a transgenic mouse model of Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1C

PubMed Central

Lee, Samuel M.; Sha, Di; Mohammed, Anum A.; Asress, Seneshaw; Glass, Jonathan D.; Chin, Lih-Shen; Li, Lian

2013-01-01

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1C (CMT1C) is a dominantly inherited motor and sensory neuropathy. Despite human genetic evidence linking missense mutations in SIMPLE to CMT1C, the in vivo role of CMT1C-linked SIMPLE mutations remains undetermined. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying CMT1C pathogenesis, we generated transgenic mice expressing either wild-type or CMT1C-linked W116G human SIMPLE. Mice expressing mutant, but not wild type, SIMPLE develop a late-onset motor and sensory neuropathy that recapitulates key clinical features of CMT1C disease. SIMPLE mutant mice exhibit motor and sensory behavioral impairments accompanied by decreased motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity and reduced compound muscle action potential amplitude. This neuropathy phenotype is associated with focally infolded myelin loops that protrude into the axons at paranodal regions and near Schmidt–Lanterman incisures of peripheral nerves. We find that myelin infolding is often linked to constricted axons with signs of impaired axonal transport and to paranodal defects and abnormal organization of the node of Ranvier. Our findings support that SIMPLE mutation disrupts myelin homeostasis and causes peripheral neuropathy via a combination of toxic gain-of-function and dominant-negative mechanisms. The results from this study suggest that myelin infolding and paranodal damage may represent pathogenic precursors preceding demyelination and axonal degeneration in CMT1C patients. PMID:23359569

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation modulates conscious perception of sensory function in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Cury, Rubens G; Galhardoni, Ricardo; Teixeira, Manoel J; Dos Santos Ghilardi, Maria G; Silva, Valquiria; Myczkowski, Martin L; Marcolin, Marco A; Barbosa, Egberto R; Fonoff, Erich T; Ciampi de Andrade, Daniel

2016-12-01

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is used to treat refractory motor complications in Parkinson disease (PD), but its effects on nonmotor symptoms remain uncertain. Up to 80% of patients with PD may have pain relief after STN-DBS, but it is unknown whether its analgesic properties are related to potential effects on sensory thresholds or secondary to motor improvement. We have previously reported significant and long-lasting pain relief after DBS, which did not correlate with motor symptomatic control. Here we present secondary data exploring the effects of DBS on sensory thresholds in a controlled way and have explored the relationship between these changes and clinical pain and motor improvement after surgery. Thirty-seven patients were prospectively evaluated before STN-DBS and 12 months after the procedure compared with healthy controls. Compared with baseline, patients with PD showed lower thermal and mechanical detection and higher cold pain thresholds after surgery. There were no changes in heat and mechanical pain thresholds. Compared with baseline values in healthy controls, patients with PD had higher thermal and mechanical detection thresholds, which decreased after surgery toward normalization. These sensory changes had no correlation with motor or clinical pain improvement after surgery. These data confirm the existence of sensory abnormalities in PD and suggest that STN-DBS mainly influenced the detection thresholds rather than painful sensations. However, these changes may depend on the specific effects of DBS on somatosensory loops with no correlation to motor or clinical pain improvement.

GABA abnormalities in schizophrenia: a methodological review of in vivo studies.

PubMed

Taylor, Stephan F; Tso, Ivy F

2015-09-01

Abnormalities of GABAergic interneurons are some of the most consistent findings from post-mortem studies of schizophrenia. However, linking these molecular deficits with in vivo observations in patients - a critical goal in order to evaluate interventions that would target GABAergic deficits - presents a challenge. Explanatory models have been developed based on animal work and the emerging experimental literature in schizophrenia patients. This literature includes: neuroimaging ligands to GABA receptors, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of GABA concentration, transcranial magnetic stimulation of cortical inhibitory circuits and pharmacologic probes of GABA receptors to dynamically challenge the GABA system, usually in combination with neuroimaging studies. Pharmacologic challenges have elicited behavioral changes, and preliminary studies of therapeutic GABAergic interventions have been conducted. This article critically reviews the evidence for GABAergic dysfunction from each of these areas. These methods remain indirect measures of GABAergic function, and a broad array of dysfunction is linked with the putative GABAergic measures, including positive symptoms, cognition, emotion, motor processing and sensory processing, covering diverse brain areas. Measures of receptor binding have not shown replicable group differences in binding, and MRS assays of GABA concentration have yielded equivocal evidence of large-scale alteration in GABA concentration. Overall, the experimental base remains sparse, and much remains to be learned about the role of GABAergic interneurons in healthy brains. Challenges with pharmacologic and functional probes show promise, and may yet enable a better characterization of GABAergic deficits in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spitting Up in Babies

MedlinePlus

... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

Measuring the effect of attention on simple visual search.

PubMed

Palmer, J; Ames, C T; Lindsey, D T

1993-02-01

Set-size in visual search may be due to 1 or more of 3 factors: sensory processes such as lateral masking between stimuli, attentional processes limiting the perception of individual stimuli, or attentional processes affecting the decision rules for combining information from multiple stimuli. These possibilities were evaluated in tasks such as searching for a longer line among shorter lines. To evaluate sensory contributions, display set-size effects were compared with cuing conditions that held sensory phenomena constant. Similar effects for the display and cue manipulations suggested that sensory processes contributed little under the conditions of this experiment. To evaluate the contribution of decision processes, the set-size effects were modeled with signal detection theory. In these models, a decision effect alone was sufficient to predict the set-size effects without any attentional limitation due to perception.

Shifts in Audiovisual Processing in Healthy Aging.

PubMed

Baum, Sarah H; Stevenson, Ryan

2017-09-01

The integration of information across sensory modalities into unified percepts is a fundamental sensory process upon which a multitude of cognitive processes are based. We review the body of literature exploring aging-related changes in audiovisual integration published over the last five years. Specifically, we review the impact of changes in temporal processing, the influence of the effectiveness of sensory inputs, the role of working memory, and the newer studies of intra-individual variability during these processes. Work in the last five years on bottom-up influences of sensory perception has garnered significant attention. Temporal processing, a driving factors of multisensory integration, has now been shown to decouple with multisensory integration in aging, despite their co-decline with aging. The impact of stimulus effectiveness also changes with age, where older adults show maximal benefit from multisensory gain at high signal-to-noise ratios. Following sensory decline, high working memory capacities have now been shown to be somewhat of a protective factor against age-related declines in audiovisual speech perception, particularly in noise. Finally, newer research is emerging focusing on the general intra-individual variability observed with aging. Overall, the studies of the past five years have replicated and expanded on previous work that highlights the role of bottom-up sensory changes with aging and their influence on audiovisual integration, as well as the top-down influence of working memory.

Pneumonia

MedlinePlus

... healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Get plenty of sleep. ... SPD)Sensory processing disorder is a condition that affects how your brain processes sensory information: things you ...

Attenuated Auditory Event-Related Potentials and Associations with Atypical Sensory Response Patterns in Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donkers, Franc C. L.; Schipul, Sarah E.; Baranek, Grace T.; Cleary, Katherine M.; Willoughby, Michael T.; Evans, Anna M.; Bulluck, John C.; Lovmo, Jeanne E.; Belger, Aysenil

2015-01-01

Neurobiological underpinnings of unusual sensory features in individuals with autism are unknown. Event-related potentials elicited by task-irrelevant sounds were used to elucidate neural correlates of auditory processing and associations with three common sensory response patterns (hyperresponsiveness; hyporesponsiveness; sensory seeking).…

Reliability of the Participation and Sensory Environment Questionnaire: Teacher Version

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piller, Aimee; Fletcher, Tina; Pfeiffer, Beth; Dunlap, Karen; Pickens, Noralyn

2017-01-01

The Participation and Sensory Environment Questionnaire-Teacher Version (PSEQ-TV) is a teacher-report questionnaire to assess the impact of the sensory environment on participation of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many children with ASD have sensory processing differences, although these differences are frequently…

Sensory Integration Dysfunction: Implications for Counselors Working with Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Withrow, Rebecca L.

2007-01-01

Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), a sensory processing problem that afflicts about 15% of children, sets many children on a developmental trajectory of emotional and social problems. Children with SID often unintentionally alienate parents, peers, and teachers in their efforts to modify the amounts of sensory stimulation they receive. They…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Sensory Modulation Disorder: A Comparison of Behavior and Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Lucy Jane; Nielsen, Darci M.; Schoen, Sarah A.

2012-01-01

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive, while children with sensory modulation disorder (SMD), one subtype of Sensory Processing Disorder, have difficulty responding adaptively to daily sensory experiences. ADHD and SMD are often difficult to distinguish. To differentiate these…

Brief Report: Further Evidence of Sensory Subtypes in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Alison E.; Dennis, Simon J.; Geraghty, Maureen E.

2011-01-01

Distinct sensory processing (SP) subtypes in autism have been reported previously. This study sought to replicate the previous findings in an independent sample of thirty children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Model-based cluster analysis of parent-reported sensory functioning (measured using the Short Sensory Profile) confirmed the…

A Kinect-Based Motion-Sensing Game Therapy to Foster the Learning of Children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuang, Tsung-Yen; Kuo, Ming-Shiou; Fan, Ping-Lin; Hsu, Yen-Wei

2017-01-01

Sensory integration dysfunction (SID, also known as sensory processing disorder, SPD) is a condition that exists when a person's multisensory integration fails to process and respond adequately to the demands of the environment. Children with SID (CwSID) are also learners with disabilities with regard to responding adequately to the demands made…

Timing of Moderate Level Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Influences Gene Expression of Sensory Processing Behavior in Rhesus Monkeys

PubMed Central

Schneider, Mary L.; Moore, Colleen F.; Larson, Julie A.; Barr, Christina S.; DeJesus, Onofre T.; Roberts, Andrew D.

2009-01-01

Sensory processing disorder, characterized by over- or under-responsivity to non-noxious environmental stimuli, is a common but poorly understood disorder. We examined the role of prenatal alcohol exposure, serotonin transporter gene polymorphic region variation (rh5-HTTLPR), and striatal dopamine (DA) function on behavioral measures of sensory responsivity to repeated non-noxious sensory stimuli in macaque monkeys. Results indicated that early gestation alcohol exposure induced behavioral under-responsivity to environmental stimuli in monkeys carrying the short (s) rh5-HTTLPR allele compared to both early-exposed monkeys homozygous for the long (l) allele and monkeys from middle-to-late exposed pregnancies and controls, regardless of genotype. Moreover, prenatal timing of alcohol exposure altered the relationship between sensory scores and DA D2R availability. In early-exposed monkeys, a positive relationship was shown between sensory scores and DA D2R availability, with low or blunted DA function associated with under-responsive sensory function. The opposite pattern was found for the middle-to-late gestation alcohol-exposed group. These findings raise questions about how the timing of prenatal perturbation and genotype contributes to effects on neural processing and possibly alters neural connections. PMID:19936317

Severe sensory neuropathy in patients with adult-onset multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaoxia; Hong, Daojun; Zhang, Wei; Li, Wurong; Shi, Xin; Zhao, Danhua; Yang, Xu; Lv, He; Yuan, Yun

2016-02-01

Multiple Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of fatty acid oxidation. Most patients with late-onset MADD are clinically characterized by lipid storage myopathy with dramatic responsiveness to riboflavin treatment. Abnormalities of peripheral neuropathy have rarely been reported in patients with late-onset MADD. We describe six patients who presented with proximal limb weakness and loss of sensation in the distal limbs. Muscle biopsy revealed typical myopathological patterns of lipid storage myopathy and blood acylcarnitine profiles showed a combined elevation of multiple acylcarnitines supporting the diagnosis of MADD. However, nerve conduction investigations and sural nerve biopsies in these patients indicated severe axonal sensory neuropathy. Causative ETFDH gene mutations were found in all six cases. No other causative gene mutations were identified in mitochondrial DNA and genes associated with hereditary neuropathies through next-generation-sequencing panel. Late-onset patients with ETFDH mutations can present with proximal muscle weakness and distal sensory neuropathy, which might be a new phenotypic variation, but the precise underlying pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Neurological soft signs in Chinese adolescents with antisocial personality traits.

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Cai, Lin; Li, Lingyan; Yang, Yanjie; Yao, Shuqiao; Zhu, Xiongzhao

2016-09-30

The current study was designed to explore the specific relationship between neurologic soft signs (NSSs) and characteristics of antisocial personality traits in adolescents, and to investigate particular NSSs linked to certain brain regions in adolescents with antisocial personality traits. The research was conducted on 96 adolescents diagnosed with ASP traits (ASP trait group) using the ASPD subscale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire for the DSM-IV (PDQ-4+) and 96 adolescents without traits of any personality disorder (control group). NSSs were assessed using the soft sign subscales of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory. Adolescents with ASP traits showed more motor coordination, sensory integration, disinhibition, and total NSSs than the control group. Seven NSSs, including stereognosia in right hand, finger agnosia and graphesthesia in both hands, left-right orientation, and go/no go stimulus, were significantly more frequent in teenagers with ASP traits. Sensory integration was positively associated with ASP traits. Adolescents with antisocial personality traits might have abnormalities in the central nervous system, and sensory integration might be the particular indicator of antisocial personality disorder. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Altered Global Signal Topography in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Yang, Genevieve J; Murray, John D; Glasser, Matthew; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Krystal, John H; Schleifer, Charlie; Repovs, Grega; Anticevic, Alan

2017-11-01

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a disabling neuropsychiatric disease associated with disruptions across distributed neural systems. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified extensive abnormalities in the blood-oxygen level-dependent signal in SCZ patients, including alterations in the average signal over the brain-i.e. the "global" signal (GS). It remains unknown, however, if these "global" alterations occur pervasively or follow a spatially preferential pattern. This study presents the first network-by-network quantification of GS topography in healthy subjects and SCZ patients. We observed a nonuniform GS contribution in healthy comparison subjects, whereby sensory areas exhibited the largest GS component. In SCZ patients, we identified preferential GS representation increases across association regions, while sensory regions showed preferential reductions. GS representation in sensory versus association cortices was strongly anti-correlated in healthy subjects. This anti-correlated relationship was markedly reduced in SCZ. Such shifts in GS topography may underlie profound alterations in neural information flow in SCZ, informing development of pharmacotherapies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Processes to Preserve Spice and Herb Quality and Sensory Integrity During Pathogen Inactivation

PubMed Central

Moberg, Kayla; Amin, Kemia N.; Wright, Melissa; Newkirk, Jordan J.; Ponder, Monica A.; Acuff, Gary R.; Dickson, James S.

2017-01-01

Abstract Selected processing methods, demonstrated to be effective at reducing Salmonella, were assessed to determine if spice and herb quality was affected. Black peppercorn, cumin seed, oregano, and onion powder were irradiated to a target dose of 8 kGy. Two additional processes were examined for whole black peppercorns and cumin seeds: ethylene oxide (EtO) fumigation and vacuum assisted‐steam (82.22 °C, 7.5 psia). Treated and untreated spices/herbs were compared (visual, odor) using sensory similarity testing protocols (α = 0.20; β = 0.05; proportion of discriminators: 20%) to determine if processing altered sensory quality. Analytical assessment of quality (color, water activity, and volatile chemistry) was completed. Irradiation did not alter visual or odor sensory quality of black peppercorn, cumin seed, or oregano but created differences in onion powder, which was lighter (higher L *) and more red (higher a*) in color, and resulted in nearly complete loss of measured volatile compounds. EtO processing did not create detectable odor or appearance differences in black peppercorn; however visual and odor sensory quality differences, supported by changes in color (higher b *; lower L *) and increased concentrations of most volatiles, were detected for cumin seeds. Steam processing of black peppercorn resulted in perceptible odor differences, supported by increased concentration of monoterpene volatiles and loss of all sesquiterpenes; only visual differences were noted for cumin seed. An important step in process validation is the verification that no effect is detectable from a sensory perspective. PMID:28407236

Properties of frozen dairy desserts processed by microfluidization of their mixes.

PubMed

Olson, D W; White, C H; Watson, C E

2003-04-01

Sensory properties and rate of meltdown of nonfat (0% fat) and low-fat (2% fat) vanilla ice creams processed either by conventional valve homogenization or microfluidization of their mixes were compared with each other and to ice cream (10% fat) processed by conventional valve homogenization. Mixes for frozen dairy desserts containing 0, 2, and 10% fat were manufactured. Some of the nonfat and low-fat ice cream mixes were processed by microfluidization at 50, 100, 150, and 200 MPa, and the remaining nonfat and low-fat ice cream mixes and all of the ice cream mix were processed by conventional valve homogenization at 13.8 MPa, first stage, and 3.4 MPa, second stage. The finished frozen and hardened products were evaluated at d 1 and 45 for meltdown rate and for flavor and body and texture by preference testing. Nonfat and low-fat ice creams that usually had a slower meltdown were produced when processing their mixes by microfluidization instead of by conventional valve homogenization. Sensory scores for the ice cream were significantly higher than sensory scores for the nonfat and low-fat ice creams, but the sensory scores for the conventional valve homogenized controls for the nonfat ice cream and low-fat ice cream were not significantly different from the sensory scores for the nonfat ice cream and low-fat ice cream processed by microfluidization of the mixes, respectively. Microfluidization produced nonfat and low-fat ice creams that usually had a slower meltdown without affecting sensory properties.

Role of "Sural Sparing" Pattern (Absent/Abnormal Median and Ulnar with Present Sural SNAP) Compared to Absent/Abnormal Median or Ulnar with Normal Sural SNAP in Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy.

PubMed

Surpur, Spurthi Sunil; Govindarajan, Raghav

2017-01-01

Sural sparing defined as absent/abnormal median sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude or absent/abnormal ulnar SNAP amplitude with a normal sural SNAP amplitude is thought to be a marker for inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies. If sural sparing pattern specifically defined as absent/abnormal median and ulnar SNAP amplitude with normal sural SNAP amplitude (AMUNS) is sensitive and specific when compared with either absent/abnormal median and normal sural (AMNS) or absent/abnormal ulnar and normal sural (AUNS) for acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), select non-diabetic axonopathies (AXPs), and diabetic neuropathies (DNs). Retrospective analysis from 2001 to 2010 on all newly diagnosed AIDP, CIDP, select non-diabetic AXP, and DN. There were 20 AIDP and 23 CIDP. Twenty AXP and 50 DN patients between 2009 and 2010 were included as controls. AMUNS was seen in 65% of AIDP, 39% CIDP compared with 10% of AXP and 6% for DN with sensitivity of 51%, specificity of 92%, whereas the specificity of AMNS/AUNS was 73% and its sensitivity was 58%. If a patient has AMUNS they are >12 times more likely to have AIDP ( p  < 0.001). Sural sparing is highly specific but not sensitive when compared with either AMNS or AUNS in AIDP but does not add to sensitivity or specificity in CIDP.

Action preparation modulates sensory perception in unseen personal space: An electrophysiological investigation.

PubMed

Job, Xavier E; de Fockert, Jan W; van Velzen, José

2016-08-01

Behavioural and electrophysiological evidence has demonstrated that preparation of goal-directed actions modulates sensory perception at the goal location before the action is executed. However, previous studies have focused on sensory perception in areas of peripersonal space. The present study investigated visual and tactile sensory processing at the goal location of upcoming movements towards the body, much of which is not visible, as well as visible peripersonal space. A motor task cued participants to prepare a reaching movement towards goals either in peripersonal space in front of them or personal space on the upper chest. In order to assess modulations of sensory perception during movement preparation, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to task-irrelevant visual and tactile probe stimuli delivered randomly at one of the goal locations of the movements. In line with previous neurophysiological findings, movement preparation modulated visual processing at the goal of a movement in peripersonal space. Movement preparation also modulated somatosensory processing at the movement goal in personal space. The findings demonstrate that tactile perception in personal space is subject to similar top-down sensory modulation by motor preparation as observed for visual stimuli presented in peripersonal space. These findings show for the first time that the principles and mechanisms underlying adaptive modulation of sensory processing in the context of action extend to tactile perception in unseen personal space. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stabilisation of red fruit-based smoothies by high-pressure processing. Part II: effects on sensory quality and selected nutrients.

PubMed

Hurtado, Adriana; Guàrdia, Maria Dolors; Picouet, Pierre; Jofré, Anna; Ros, José María; Bañón, Sancho

2017-02-01

Non-thermal pasteurisation by high-pressure processing (HPP) is increasingly replacing thermal processing (TP) to maintain the properties of fresh fruit products. The resulting products need to be validated from a sensory and nutritional standpoint. The objective was to assess a mild HPP treatment to stabilise red fruit-based smoothies in a wide (sensory quality and major nutrients) study. HPP (350 MPa/ 10 °C/ 5 min) provided 'fresh-like' smoothies, free of cooked-fruit flavours, for at least 14 days at 4 °C, although their sensory stability was low compared with the TP-smoothies (85 °C/ 7 min). In HPP-smoothies, the loss of fresh fruit flavour and reduced sliminess were the clearest signs of sensory deterioration during storage. Furthermore, HPP permitted the higher initial retention of vitamin C, although this vitamin and, to a lesser extent, total phenols, had a higher degradation rate during storage. The content of sugar present was not affected by either processing treatment. Mild HPP treatment did not alter the sensory and nutritional properties of smoothies. The sensory and nutritional losses during storage were less than might be expected, probably due to the high antioxidant content and the natural turbidity provided by red fruits. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Unconscious automatic brain activation of acoustic and action-related conceptual features during masked repetition priming.

PubMed

Trumpp, Natalie M; Traub, Felix; Pulvermüller, Friedemann; Kiefer, Markus

2014-02-01

Classical theories of semantic memory assume that concepts are represented in a unitary amodal memory system. In challenging this classical view, pure or hybrid modality-specific theories propose that conceptual representations are grounded in the sensory-motor brain areas, which typically process sensory and action-related information. Although neuroimaging studies provided evidence for a functional-anatomical link between conceptual processing of sensory or action-related features and the sensory-motor brain systems, it has been argued that aspects of such sensory-motor activation may not directly reflect conceptual processing but rather strategic imagery or postconceptual elaboration. In the present ERP study, we investigated masked effects of acoustic and action-related conceptual features to probe unconscious automatic conceptual processing in isolation. Subliminal feature-specific ERP effects at frontocentral electrodes were observed, which differed with regard to polarity, topography, and underlying brain electrical sources in congruency with earlier findings under conscious viewing conditions. These findings suggest that conceptual acoustic and action representations can also be unconsciously accessed, thereby excluding any postconceptual strategic processes. This study therefore further substantiates a grounding of conceptual and semantic processing in action and perception.

Laminar-specific distribution of zinc: evidence for presence of layer IV in forelimb motor cortex in the rat.

PubMed

Alaverdashvili, Mariam; Hackett, Mark J; Pickering, Ingrid J; Paterson, Phyllis G

2014-12-01

The rat is the most widely studied pre-clinical model system of various neurological and neurodegenerative disorders affecting hand function. Although brain injury to the forelimb region of the motor cortex in rats mostly induces behavioral abnormalities in motor control of hand movements, behavioral deficits in the sensory-motor domain are also observed. This questions the prevailing view that cortical layer IV, a recipient of sensory information from the thalamus, is absent in rat motor cortex. Because zinc-containing neurons are generally not found in pathways that run from the thalamus, an absence of zinc (Zn) in a cortical layer would be suggestive of sensory input from the thalamus. To test this hypothesis, we used synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence imaging to measure Zn distribution across cortical layers. Zn maps revealed a heterogeneous layered Zn distribution in primary and secondary motor cortices of the forelimb region in the adult rat. Two wider bands with elevated Zn content were separated by a narrow band having reduced Zn content, and this was evident in two rat strains. The Zn distribution pattern was comparable to that in sensorimotor cortex, which is known to contain a well demarcated layer IV. Juxtaposition of Zn maps and the images of brain stained for Nissl bodies revealed a "Zn valley" in primary motor cortex, apparently starting at the ventral border of pyramidal layer III and ending at the close vicinity of layer V. This finding indicates the presence of a conspicuous cortical layer between layers III and V, i.e. layer IV, the presence of which previously has been disputed. The results have implications for the use of rat models to investigate human brain function and neuropathology, such as after stroke. The presence of layer IV in the forelimb region of the motor cortex suggests that therapeutic interventions used in rat models of motor cortex injury should target functional abnormalities in both motor and sensory domains. The finding is also critical for future investigation of the biochemical mechanisms through which therapeutic interventions can enhance neural plasticity, particularly through Zn dependent pathways. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laminar-specific distribution of zinc: Evidence for presence of layer IV in forelimb motor cortex in the rat

PubMed Central

Alaverdashvili, Mariam; Hackett, Mark J.; Pickering, Ingrid J.; Paterson, Phyllis G.

2015-01-01

The rat is the most widely studied pre-clinical model system of various neurological and neurodegenerative disorders affecting hand function. Although brain injury to the forelimb region of the motor cortex in rats mostly induces behavioral abnormalities in motor control of hand movements, behavioral deficits in the sensory-motor domain are also observed. This questions the prevailing view that cortical layer IV, a recipient of sensory information from the thalamus, is absent in rat motor cortex. Because zinc-containing neurons are generally not found in pathways that run from the thalamus, an absence of zinc (Zn) in a cortical layer would be suggestive of sensory input from the thalamus. To test this hypothesis, we used synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence imaging to measure Zn distribution across cortical layers. Zn maps revealed a heterogeneous layered Zn distribution in primary and secondary motor cortices of the forelimb region in the adult rat. Two wider bands with elevated Zn content were separated by a narrow band having reduced Zn content, and this was evident in two rat strains. The Zn distribution pattern was comparable to that in sensorimotor cortex, which is known to contain a well demarcated layer IV. Juxtaposition of Zn maps and the images of brain stained for Nissl bodies revealed a “Zn valley” in primary motor cortex, apparently starting at the ventral border of pyramidal layer III and ending at the close vicinity of layer V. This finding indicates the presence of a conspicuous cortical layer between layers III and V, i.e. layer IV, the presence of which previously has been disputed. The results have implications for the use of rat models to investigate human brain function and neuropathology, such as after stroke. The presence of layer IV in the forelimb region of the motor cortex suggests that therapeutic interventions used in rat models of motor cortex injury should target functional abnormalities in both motor and sensory domains. The finding is also critical for future investigation of the biochemical mechanisms through which therapeutic interventions can enhance neural plasticity, particularly through Zn dependent pathways. PMID:25192655

Acute corneal epithelial debridement unmasks the corneal stromal nerve responses to ocular stimulation in rats: implications for abnormal sensations of the eye.

PubMed

Hirata, Harumitsu; Mizerska, Kamila; Dallacasagrande, Valentina; Guaiquil, Victor H; Rosenblatt, Mark I

2017-05-01

It is widely accepted that the mechanisms for transducing sensory information reside in the nerve terminals. Occasionally, however, studies have appeared demonstrating that similar mechanisms may exist in the axon to which these terminals are connected. We examined this issue in the cornea, where nerve terminals in the epithelial cell layers are easily accessible for debridement, leaving the underlying stromal (axonal) nerves undisturbed. In isoflurane-anesthetized rats, we recorded extracellularly from single trigeminal ganglion neurons innervating the cornea that are excited by ocular dryness and cooling: low-threshold (<2°C cooling) and high-threshold (>2°C) cold-sensitive plus dry-sensitive neurons playing possible roles in tearing and ocular pain. We found that the responses in both types of neurons to dryness, wetness, and menthol stimuli were effectively abolished by the debridement, indicating that their transduction mechanisms lie in the nerve terminals. However, some responses to the cold, heat, and hyperosmolar stimuli in low-threshold cold-sensitive plus dry-sensitive neurons still remained. Surprisingly, the responses to heat in approximately half of the neurons were augmented after the debridement. We were also able to evoke these residual responses and follow the trajectory of the stromal nerves, which we subsequently confirmed histologically. The residual responses always disappeared when the stromal nerves were cut at the limbus, suggesting that the additional transduction mechanisms for these sensory modalities originated most likely in stromal nerves. The functional significance of these residual and enhanced responses from stromal nerves may be related to the abnormal sensations observed in ocular disease. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In addition to the traditional view that the sensory transduction mechanisms exist in the nerve terminals, we report here that the proximal axons (stromal nerves in the cornea from which these nerve terminals originate) may also be capable of transducing sensory information. We arrived at this conclusion by removing the epithelial cell layers of the cornea in which the nerve terminals reside but leaving the underlying stromal nerves undisturbed. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Acute corneal epithelial debridement unmasks the corneal stromal nerve responses to ocular stimulation in rats: implications for abnormal sensations of the eye

PubMed Central

Mizerska, Kamila; Dallacasagrande, Valentina; Guaiquil, Victor H.; Rosenblatt, Mark I.

2017-01-01

It is widely accepted that the mechanisms for transducing sensory information reside in the nerve terminals. Occasionally, however, studies have appeared demonstrating that similar mechanisms may exist in the axon to which these terminals are connected. We examined this issue in the cornea, where nerve terminals in the epithelial cell layers are easily accessible for debridement, leaving the underlying stromal (axonal) nerves undisturbed. In isoflurane-anesthetized rats, we recorded extracellularly from single trigeminal ganglion neurons innervating the cornea that are excited by ocular dryness and cooling: low-threshold (<2°C cooling) and high-threshold (>2°C) cold-sensitive plus dry-sensitive neurons playing possible roles in tearing and ocular pain. We found that the responses in both types of neurons to dryness, wetness, and menthol stimuli were effectively abolished by the debridement, indicating that their transduction mechanisms lie in the nerve terminals. However, some responses to the cold, heat, and hyperosmolar stimuli in low-threshold cold-sensitive plus dry-sensitive neurons still remained. Surprisingly, the responses to heat in approximately half of the neurons were augmented after the debridement. We were also able to evoke these residual responses and follow the trajectory of the stromal nerves, which we subsequently confirmed histologically. The residual responses always disappeared when the stromal nerves were cut at the limbus, suggesting that the additional transduction mechanisms for these sensory modalities originated most likely in stromal nerves. The functional significance of these residual and enhanced responses from stromal nerves may be related to the abnormal sensations observed in ocular disease. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In addition to the traditional view that the sensory transduction mechanisms exist in the nerve terminals, we report here that the proximal axons (stromal nerves in the cornea from which these nerve terminals originate) may also be capable of transducing sensory information. We arrived at this conclusion by removing the epithelial cell layers of the cornea in which the nerve terminals reside but leaving the underlying stromal nerves undisturbed. PMID:28250152

How to Care for Your Baby's Teeth

MedlinePlus

... information applies to you and to get more information on this subject. Featured ContentSecondary DrowningRead Article >>Secondary DrowningSensory Processing Disorder (SPD)Read Article >>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) ...

The Effect of Emulsion Intensity on Selected Sensory and Instrumental Texture Properties of Full-Fat Mayonnaise

PubMed Central

Olsson, Viktoria; Håkansson, Andreas

2018-01-01

Varying processing conditions can strongly affect the microstructure of mayonnaise, opening up new applications for the creation of products tailored to meet different consumer preferences. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of emulsification intensity on sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise. Mayonnaise, based on a standard recipe, was processed at low and high emulsification intensities, with selected sensory and instrumental properties then evaluated using an analytical panel and a back extrusion method. The evaluation also included a commercial reference mayonnaise. The overall effects of a higher emulsification intensity on the sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise were limited. However, texture was affected, with a more intense emulsification resulting in a firmer mayonnaise according to both back extrusion data and the analytical sensory panel. Appearance, taste and flavor attributes were not affected by processing. PMID:29342128

Convergence of circuit dysfunction in ASD: a common bridge between diverse genetic and environmental risk factors and common clinical electrophysiology.

PubMed

Port, Russell G; Gandal, Michael J; Roberts, Timothy P L; Siegel, Steven J; Carlson, Gregory C

2014-01-01

Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 68 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Though decades of research have uncovered much about these disorders, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. Hampering efforts is the seeming inability to integrate findings over the micro to macro scales of study, from changes in molecular, synaptic and cellular function to large-scale brain dysfunction impacting sensory, communicative, motor and cognitive activity. In this review, we describe how studies focusing on neuronal circuit function provide unique context for identifying common neurobiological disease mechanisms of ASD. We discuss how recent EEG and MEG studies in subjects with ASD have repeatedly shown alterations in ensemble population recordings (both in simple evoked related potential latencies and specific frequency subcomponents). Because these disease-associated electrophysiological abnormalities have been recapitulated in rodent models, studying circuit differences in these models may provide access to abnormal circuit function found in ASD. We then identify emerging in vivo and ex vivo techniques, focusing on how these assays can characterize circuit level dysfunction and determine if these abnormalities underlie abnormal clinical electrophysiology. Such circuit level study in animal models may help us understand how diverse genetic and environmental risks can produce a common set of EEG, MEG and anatomical abnormalities found in ASD.

Antiviral treatment normalizes neurophysiological but not movement abnormalities in simian immunodeficiency virus–infected monkeys

PubMed Central

Fox, Howard S.; Weed, Michael R.; Huitron-Resendiz, Salvador; Baig, Jamal; Horn, Thomas F.W.; Dailey, Peter J.; Bischofberger, Norbert; Henriksen, Steven J.

2000-01-01

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus monkeys provides an excellent model of the central nervous system (CNS) consequences of HIV infection. To discern the relationship between viral load and abnormalities induced in the CNS by the virus, we infected animals with SIV and later instituted antiviral treatment to lower peripheral viral load. Measurement of sensory-evoked potentials, assessing CNS neuronal circuitry, revealed delayed latencies after infection that could be reversed by lowering viral load. Cessation of treatment led to the reappearance of these abnormalities. In contrast, the decline in general motor activity induced by SIV infection was unaffected by antiviral treatment. An acute increase in the level of the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) relative to plasma in the infected animals at the peak of acute viremia, likely contributing to an early influx of immune cells into the CNS. Examination of the brains of the infected animals after return of the electrophysiological abnormalities revealed diverse viral and inflammatory findings. Although some of the physiological abnormalities resulting from SIV infection can be at least temporarily reversed by lowering viral load, the viral-host interactions initiated by infection may result in long-lasting changes in CNS-mediated functions. PMID:10880046

Antiviral treatment normalizes neurophysiological but not movement abnormalities in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys.

PubMed

Fox, H S; Weed, M R; Huitron-Resendiz, S; Baig, J; Horn, T F; Dailey, P J; Bischofberger, N; Henriksen, S J

2000-07-01

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus monkeys provides an excellent model of the central nervous system (CNS) consequences of HIV infection. To discern the relationship between viral load and abnormalities induced in the CNS by the virus, we infected animals with SIV and later instituted antiviral treatment to lower peripheral viral load. Measurement of sensory-evoked potentials, assessing CNS neuronal circuitry, revealed delayed latencies after infection that could be reversed by lowering viral load. Cessation of treatment led to the reappearance of these abnormalities. In contrast, the decline in general motor activity induced by SIV infection was unaffected by antiviral treatment. An acute increase in the level of the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) relative to plasma in the infected animals at the peak of acute viremia, likely contributing to an early influx of immune cells into the CNS. Examination of the brains of the infected animals after return of the electrophysiological abnormalities revealed diverse viral and inflammatory findings. Although some of the physiological abnormalities resulting from SIV infection can be at least temporarily reversed by lowering viral load, the viral-host interactions initiated by infection may result in long-lasting changes in CNS-mediated functions.

False memory for context activates the parahippocampal cortex.

PubMed

Karanian, Jessica M; Slotnick, Scott D

2014-01-01

Previous studies have reported greater activity in the parahippocampal cortex during true memory than false memory, which has been interpreted as reflecting greater sensory processing during true memory. However, in these studies, sensory detail and contextual information were confounded. In the present fMRI study, we employed a novel paradigm to dissociate these factors. During encoding, abstract shapes were presented in one of two contexts (i.e., moving or stationary). During retrieval, participants classified shapes as previously "moving" or "stationary." Critically, contextual processing was relatively greater during false memory ("moving" responses to stationary items), while sensory processing was relatively greater during true memory ("moving" responses to moving items). Within the medial temporal lobe, false memory versus true memory produced greater activity in the parahippocampal cortex, whereas true memory versus false memory produced greater activity in the hippocampus. The present results indicate that the parahippocampal cortex mediates contextual processing rather than sensory processing.

Clinical applications of cognitive event-related potentials in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Olichney, John M; Hillert, Dieter G

2004-02-01

This article has reviewed several abnormalities in the cognitive ERPs of AD patients. These abnormalities are prominent from latencies of approximately 200 msec and later. In contrast, sensory-dependent evoked potentials, such as N100, are generally normal in AD. This finding is as one familiar with the neuropathology of AD would predict. Predilection sites in early AD include the medial temporal lobe, other limbic areas, and multimodal association cortices with sparing of primary sensory areas. Unimodal association cortex is involved in AD, but not as heavily as multimodal cortex. Particular advantages of studying a given ERP paradigm or component depend largely on the specific application or hypothesis being tested. A P300 paradigm can be useful in detecting a disorder of attention or in quantifying the effects of drugs that improve attention, such as the cholinesterase inhibitors. For the early diagnosis of AD or other memory disorders, a word-repetition paradigm with an explicit recognition task or one that fosters associative learning would be recommended. This article has discussed potential use of N400 in tracking disease progression. ERPs provide a flexible and powerful technique, with superb temporal resolution, which can be used as a probe into subtle "subclinical" abnormalities of cognitive processes. Despite being applied to AD for about 25 years since the early P300 studies, the full potential of ERPs in helping diagnose and treat AD patients has yet to be realized. In this era of rapidly evolving brain-imaging techniques, electrophysiologic data are important in advancing understanding of cognition. Brain-mapping techniques that can inform where and when key cognitive processes occur are finally emerging. A final example of potential clinical application of cognitive ERPs is in the development of rational combinational treatment of cognitive enhancing drugs. Along these lines, P300 investigations in epilepsy proved helpful in ranking the cognitive side effects of anticonvulsant drugs. Drug studies that use 2 x 2 combinational designs, which compare the effects of drug A, drug B, with A + B, are currently prohibitively expensive for full-scale clinical trials in AD. It is likely that precise ERP measures could hasten drug development in several ways. Smaller samples could be used, at lower cost, to test the cognitive effects of each specific drug combination. Optimal doses of combinational therapy perhaps could be identified by repeated within-subject ERP measures. Longitudinal changes in the ERP hold promise as a marker of individual responsivity to a particular agent, which could have diagnostic utility (eg, testing response to cholinergic or dopaminergic therapy). This horizon and many others remain wide open for well-planned explorations.

Sensory Symptoms and Processing of Nonverbal Auditory and Visual Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Claire R.; Sanchez, Sandra S.; Grenesko, Emily L.; Brown, Christine M.; Chen, Colleen P.; Keehn, Brandon; Velasquez, Francisco; Lincoln, Alan J.; Müller, Ralph-Axel

2016-01-01

Atypical sensory responses are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While evidence suggests impaired auditory-visual integration for verbal information, findings for nonverbal stimuli are inconsistent. We tested for sensory symptoms in children with ASD (using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile) and examined unisensory and bisensory…

Analysis of the Sensory Profile in Children with Smith-Magenis Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildenbrand, Hanna L.; Smith, Ann C. M.

2012-01-01

This study systematically assessed sensory processing in 34 children, aged 3-14 years, with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) using the Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaire. Scores for the SMS cohort were significantly different from scores of the national sample of children with and without disabilities in all Sensory Profile categories and…

Thalamic control of sensory selection in divided attention.

PubMed

Wimmer, Ralf D; Schmitt, L Ian; Davidson, Thomas J; Nakajima, Miho; Deisseroth, Karl; Halassa, Michael M

2015-10-29

How the brain selects appropriate sensory inputs and suppresses distractors is unknown. Given the well-established role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in executive function, its interactions with sensory cortical areas during attention have been hypothesized to control sensory selection. To test this idea and, more generally, dissect the circuits underlying sensory selection, we developed a cross-modal divided-attention task in mice that allowed genetic access to this cognitive process. By optogenetically perturbing PFC function in a temporally precise window, the ability of mice to select appropriately between conflicting visual and auditory stimuli was diminished. Equivalent sensory thalamocortical manipulations showed that behaviour was causally dependent on PFC interactions with the sensory thalamus, not sensory cortex. Consistent with this notion, we found neurons of the visual thalamic reticular nucleus (visTRN) to exhibit PFC-dependent changes in firing rate predictive of the modality selected. visTRN activity was causal to performance as confirmed by bidirectional optogenetic manipulations of this subnetwork. Using a combination of electrophysiology and intracellular chloride photometry, we demonstrated that visTRN dynamically controls visual thalamic gain through feedforward inhibition. Our experiments introduce a new subcortical model of sensory selection, in which the PFC biases thalamic reticular subnetworks to control thalamic sensory gain, selecting appropriate inputs for further processing.

The sensitivity and specificity of the neurological examination in polyneuropathy patients with clinical and electrophysiological correlations

PubMed Central

Alabdali, Majed; Alsulaiman, Abdulla; Albulaihe, Hana; Breiner, Ari; Katzberg, Hans D.; Aljaafari, Danah; Lovblom, Leif E.; Bril, Vera

2017-01-01

Introduction Polyneuropathy is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders. Although several studies explored the role of the neurological examination in polyneuropathy, they were mostly restricted to specific subgroups of patients and have not correlated examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. Objectives To explore the sensitivity and specificity of different neurological examination components in patients with diverse etiologies for polyneuropathy, find the most sensitive combination of examination components for polyneuropathy detection, and correlate examination findings with symptoms and electrophysiological results. Methods Patients with polyneuropathy attending the neuromuscular clinic from 01/2013 to 09/2015 were evaluated. Inclusion criteria included symptomatic polyneuropathy, which was confirmed by electrophysiological studies. 47 subjects with no symptoms or electrophysiological findings suggestive for polyneuropathy, served as controls. Results The total cohort included 312 polyneuropathy patients, with a mean age of 60±14 years. Abnormal examination was found in 95%, most commonly sensory findings (86%). The most common abnormal examination components were impaired ankle reflexes (74%), vibration (73%), and pinprick (72%) sensation. Combining ankle reflex examination with vibration or pinprick perception had the highest sensitivity, of 88%. The specificities of individual examination component were generally high, excluding ankle reflexes (62%), and vibration perception (77%). Abnormal examination findings were correlated with symptomatic weakness and worse electrophysiological parameters. Conclusion The neurological examination is a valid, sensitive and specific tool for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and findings correlate with polyneuropathy severity. Ankle reflex examination combined with either vibration or pinprick sensory testing is the most sensitive combination for diagnosing polyneuropathy, and should be considered minimal essential components of the physical examination in patients with suspected polyneuropathy. PMID:28249029

Brain state-dependent abnormal LFP activity in the auditory cortex of a schizophrenia mouse model

PubMed Central

Nakao, Kazuhito; Nakazawa, Kazu

2014-01-01

In schizophrenia, evoked 40-Hz auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) are impaired, which reflects the sensory deficits in this disorder, and baseline spontaneous oscillatory activity also appears to be abnormal. It has been debated whether the evoked ASSR impairments are due to the possible increase in baseline power. GABAergic interneuron-specific NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction mutant mice mimic some behavioral and pathophysiological aspects of schizophrenia. To determine the presence and extent of sensory deficits in these mutant mice, we recorded spontaneous local field potential (LFP) activity and its click-train evoked ASSRs from primary auditory cortex of awake, head-restrained mice. Baseline spontaneous LFP power in the pre-stimulus period before application of the first click trains was augmented at a wide range of frequencies. However, when repetitive ASSR stimuli were presented every 20 s, averaged spontaneous LFP power amplitudes during the inter-ASSR stimulus intervals in the mutant mice became indistinguishable from the levels of control mice. Nonetheless, the evoked 40-Hz ASSR power and their phase locking to click trains were robustly impaired in the mutants, although the evoked 20-Hz ASSRs were also somewhat diminished. These results suggested that NMDAR hypofunction in cortical GABAergic neurons confers two brain state-dependent LFP abnormalities in the auditory cortex; (1) a broadband increase in spontaneous LFP power in the absence of external inputs, and (2) a robust deficit in the evoked ASSR power and its phase-locking despite of normal baseline LFP power magnitude during the repetitive auditory stimuli. The “paradoxically” high spontaneous LFP activity of the primary auditory cortex in the absence of external stimuli may possibly contribute to the emergence of schizophrenia-related aberrant auditory perception. PMID:25018691

Impaired force control in writer's cramp showing a bilateral deficit in sensorimotor integration.

PubMed

Bleton, Jean-Pierre; Teremetz, Maxime; Vidailhet, Marie; Mesure, Serge; Maier, Marc A; Lindberg, Påvel G

2014-01-01

Abnormal cortical processing of sensory inputs has been found bilaterally in writer's cramp (WC). This study tested the hypothesis that patients with WC have an impaired ability to adjust grip forces according to visual and somatosensory cues in both hands. A unimanual visuomotor force-tracking task and a bimanual sense of effort force-matching task were performed by WC patients and healthy controls. In visuomotor tracking, WC patients showed increased error, greater variability, and longer release duration than controls. In the force-matching task, patients underestimated, whereas controls overestimated, the force applied in the other hand. Visuomotor tracking and force matching were equally impaired in both the symptomatic and nonsymptomatic hand in WC patients. This study provides evidence of bilaterally impaired grip-force control in WC, when using visual or sense of effort cues. This suggests a generalized subclinical deficit in sensorimotor integration in WC. Copyright © 2013 Movement Disorder Society.

Autonomous diagnostics and prognostics of signal and data distribution systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blemel, Kenneth G.

2001-07-01

Wiring is the nervous system of any complex system and is attached to or services nearly every subsystem. Damage to optical wiring systems can cause serious interruptions in communication, command and control systems. Electrical wiring faults and failures due to opens, shorts, and arcing probably result in adverse effects to the systems serviced by the wiring. Abnormalities in a system usually can be detected by monitoring some wiring parameter such as vibration, data activity or power consumption. This paper introduces the mapping of wiring to critical functions during system engineering to automatically define the Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis. This mapping can be used to define the sensory processes needed to perform diagnostics during system engineering. This paper also explains the use of Operational Modes and Criticality Effects Analysis in the development of Sentient Wiring Systems as a means for diagnostic, prognostics and health management of wiring in aerospace and transportation systems.

[Human interaction, social cognition, and the superior temporal sulcus].

PubMed

Brunelle, Francis; Saitovitch, Anna; Boddaert, Nathalie; Grevent, David; Cambier, Jean; Lelord, Gilbert; Samson, Yves; Zilbovicius, Monica

2013-01-01

Human beings are social animals. This ability to live together is ensured by cognitive functions, the neuroanatomical bases of which are starting to be unraveled by MRI-based studies. The regions and network engaged in this process are known as the "social brain ". The core of this network is the superior temporal sulcus (STS), which integrates sensory and emotional inputs. Modeling studies of healthy volunteers have shown the role of the STS.in recognizing others as biological beings, as well as facial and eye-gaze recognition, intentionality and emotions. This cognitive capacity has been described as the "theory of mind ". Pathological models such as autism, in which the main clinical abnormality is altered social abilities and communication, have confirmed the role of the STS in the social brain. Conceptualisation of this empathic capacity has been described as "meta cognition ", which forms the basis of human social organizationand culture.

Cognitive behavioral approach to understanding irritable bowel syndrome

PubMed Central

Hauser, Goran; Pletikosic, Sanda; Tkalcic, Mladenka

2014-01-01

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is considered a biopsychosocial disorder, whose onset and precipitation are a consequence of interaction among multiple factors which include motility disturbances, abnormalities of gastrointestinal sensation, gut inflammation and infection, altered processing of afferent sensory information, psychological distress, and affective disturbances. Several models have been proposed in order to describe and explain IBS, each of them focusing on specific aspects or mechanisms of the disorder. This review attempts to present and discuss different determinants of IBS and its symptoms, from a cognitive behavioral therapy framework, distinguishing between the developmental predispositions and precipitants of the disorder, and its perpetuating cognitive, behavioral, affective and physiological factors. The main focus in understanding IBS will be placed on the numerous psychosocial factors, such as personality traits, early experiences, affective disturbances, altered attention and cognitions, avoidance behavior, stress, coping and social support. In conclusion, a symptom perpetuation model is proposed. PMID:24944466

Abnormal early brain responses during visual search are evident in schizophrenia but not bipolar affective disorder.

PubMed

VanMeerten, Nicolaas J; Dubke, Rachel E; Stanwyck, John J; Kang, Seung Suk; Sponheim, Scott R

2016-01-01

People with schizophrenia show deficits in processing visual stimuli but neural abnormalities underlying the deficits are unclear and it is unknown whether such functional brain abnormalities are present in other severe mental disorders or in individuals who carry genetic liability for schizophrenia. To better characterize brain responses underlying visual search deficits and test their specificity to schizophrenia we gathered behavioral and electrophysiological responses during visual search (i.e., Span of Apprehension [SOA] task) from 38 people with schizophrenia, 31 people with bipolar disorder, 58 biological relatives of people with schizophrenia, 37 biological relatives of people with bipolar disorder, and 65 non-psychiatric control participants. Through subtracting neural responses associated with purely sensory aspects of the stimuli we found that people with schizophrenia exhibited reduced early posterior task-related neural responses (i.e., Span Endogenous Negativity [SEN]) while other groups showed normative responses. People with schizophrenia exhibited longer reaction times than controls during visual search but nearly identical accuracy. Those individuals with schizophrenia who had larger SENs performed more efficiently (i.e., shorter reaction times) on the SOA task suggesting that modulation of early visual cortical responses facilitated their visual search. People with schizophrenia also exhibited a diminished P300 response compared to other groups. Unaffected first-degree relatives of people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia showed an amplified N1 response over posterior brain regions in comparison to other groups. Diminished early posterior brain responses are associated with impaired visual search in schizophrenia and appear to be specifically associated with the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Chronic neonatal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade induces learning deficits and transient hypoactivity in young rats.

PubMed

Latysheva, Nadejda V; Rayevsky, Kirill S

2003-08-01

A blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type of glutamate receptor in rodents is believed to provide a pharmacological model of schizophrenia-related psychosis. Since neurodevelopmental abnormality, at least partly, could contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, the aim of this study was to recapitulate cognitive impairments accompanying this disorder in rats by a chronic neonatal treatment with a noncompetitive NMDA antagonist MK-801. Rat pups were treated with a low dose of MK-801 (0.05 mg/kg s.c.) chronically from early postnatal period (PD 7-49) known to be critical for glutamatergic system maturation. Locomotor activity in the "open-field" test, anxiety level in the elevated plus-maze test, and learning capacity in food rewarded spatial task were examined in young animals. Chronic MK-801 treatment produced a decrease of spontaneous motor and exploratory activity in 16- to 28-day-old rats. At the same time, a hyperlocomotion in response to acute administration of MK-801 was observed as well. Spatial learning of MK-801-treated rats was found to be negatively affected. Treated rats were able to respond to stress stimuli in the adequate manner but their anxiety level was found to be lower than in controls. Behavioral disturbances appeared to be temporary, and no such abnormalities could be detected at the age of 16 weeks. Thus, even mild chronic neonatal blockade of NMDA receptors may lead to a specific pattern of cognitive abnormalities presumably resulting from impairments of sensory information processing at the cortical-basal ganglia level.

Sensory modulation in preterm children: Theoretical perspective and systematic review

PubMed Central

Oostrom, Kim J.; Lafeber, Harrie N.; Jansma, Elise P.; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2017-01-01

Background Neurodevelopmental sequelae in preterm born children are generally considered to result from cerebral white matter damage and noxious effects of environmental factors in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Cerebral white matter damage is associated with sensory processing problems in terms of registration, integration and modulation. However, research into sensory processing problems and, in particular, sensory modulation problems, is scarce in preterm children. Aim This review aims to integrate available evidence on sensory modulation problems in preterm infants and children (<37 weeks of gestation) and their association with neurocognitive and behavioral problems. Method Relevant studies were extracted from PubMed, EMBASE.com and PsycINFO following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Selection criteria included assessment of sensory modulation in preterm born children (<37 weeks of gestation) or with prematurity as a risk factor. Results Eighteen studies were included. Results of this review support the presence of sensory modulation problems in preterm children. Although prematurity may distort various aspects of sensory modulation, the nature and severity of sensory modulation problems differ widely between studies. Conclusions Sensory modulation problems may play a key role in understanding neurocognitive and behavioral sequelae in preterm children. Some support is found for a dose-response relationship between both white matter brain injury and length of NICU stay and sensory modulation problems. PMID:28182680

The neurocognitive consequences of the wandering mind: a mechanistic account of sensory-motor decoupling

PubMed Central

Kam, Julia W. Y.; Handy, Todd C.

2013-01-01

A unique human characteristic is our ability to mind wander – a state in which we are free to engage in thoughts that are not directly tied to sensations and perceptions from our immediate physical environment. From a neurocognitive perspective, it has been proposed that during mind wandering, our executive resources are decoupled from the external environment and directed to these internal thoughts. In this review, we examine an underappreciated aspect of this phenomenon – attenuation of sensory-motor processing – from two perspectives. First, we describe the range of widespread sensory, cognitive and motor processes attenuated during mind wandering states, and how this impacts our neurocognitive processing of external events. We then consider sensory-motor attenuation in a class of clinical neurocognitive disorders that have ties to pathological patterns of decoupling, reviews suggesting that mind wandering and these clinical states may share a common mechanism of sensory-motor attenuation. Taken together, these observations suggest the sensory-motor consequences of decoupled thinking are integral to normal and pathological neurocognitive states. PMID:24133472

The impact of systemic cortical alterations on perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zheng

2011-12-01

Perception is the process of transmitting and interpreting sensory information, and the primary somatosensory (SI) area in the human cortex is the main sensory receptive area for the sensation of touch. The elaborate neuroanatomical connectivity that subserves the neuronal communication between adjacent and near-adjacent regions within sensory cortex has been widely recognized to be essential to normal sensory function. As a result, systemic cortical alterations that impact the cortical regional interaction, as associated with many neurological disorders, are expected to have significant impact on sensory perception. Recently, our research group has developed a novel sensory diagnostic system that employs quantitative sensory testing methods and is able to non-invasively assess central nervous system healthy status. The intent of this study is to utilize quantitative sensory testing methods that were designed to generate discriminable perception to objectively and quantitatively assess the impacts of different conditions on human sensory information processing capacity. The correlation between human perceptions with observations from animal research enables a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of human perception. Additional findings on different subject populations provide valuable insight of the underlying mechanisms for the development and maintenance of different neurological diseases. During the course of the study, several protocols were designed and utilized. And this set of sensory-based perceptual metrics was employed to study the effects of different conditions (non-noxious thermal stimulation, chronic pain stage, and normal aging) on sensory perception. It was found that these conditions result in significant deviations of the subjects' tactile information processing capacities from normal values. Although the observed shift of sensory detection sensitivity could be a result of enhanced peripheral activity, the changes in the effects of adaptation most likely reflect changes in central nervous system. The findings in this work provide valuable information for better understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of different neurological conditions.

Can Bayesian Theories of Autism Spectrum Disorder Help Improve Clinical Practice?

PubMed

Haker, Helene; Schneebeli, Maya; Stephan, Klaas Enno

2016-01-01

Diagnosis and individualized treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent major problems for contemporary psychiatry. Tackling these problems requires guidance by a pathophysiological theory. In this paper, we consider recent theories that re-conceptualize ASD from a "Bayesian brain" perspective, which posit that the core abnormality of ASD resides in perceptual aberrations due to a disbalance in the precision of prediction errors (sensory noise) relative to the precision of predictions (prior beliefs). This results in percepts that are dominated by sensory inputs and less guided by top-down regularization and shifts the perceptual focus to detailed aspects of the environment with difficulties in extracting meaning. While these Bayesian theories have inspired ongoing empirical studies, their clinical implications have not yet been carved out. Here, we consider how this Bayesian perspective on disease mechanisms in ASD might contribute to improving clinical care for affected individuals. Specifically, we describe a computational strategy, based on generative (e.g., hierarchical Bayesian) models of behavioral and functional neuroimaging data, for establishing diagnostic tests. These tests could provide estimates of specific cognitive processes underlying ASD and delineate pathophysiological mechanisms with concrete treatment targets. Written with a clinical audience in mind, this article outlines how the development of computational diagnostics applicable to behavioral and functional neuroimaging data in routine clinical practice could not only fundamentally alter our concept of ASD but eventually also transform the clinical management of this disorder.

Can Bayesian Theories of Autism Spectrum Disorder Help Improve Clinical Practice?

PubMed Central

Haker, Helene; Schneebeli, Maya; Stephan, Klaas Enno

2016-01-01

Diagnosis and individualized treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represent major problems for contemporary psychiatry. Tackling these problems requires guidance by a pathophysiological theory. In this paper, we consider recent theories that re-conceptualize ASD from a “Bayesian brain” perspective, which posit that the core abnormality of ASD resides in perceptual aberrations due to a disbalance in the precision of prediction errors (sensory noise) relative to the precision of predictions (prior beliefs). This results in percepts that are dominated by sensory inputs and less guided by top-down regularization and shifts the perceptual focus to detailed aspects of the environment with difficulties in extracting meaning. While these Bayesian theories have inspired ongoing empirical studies, their clinical implications have not yet been carved out. Here, we consider how this Bayesian perspective on disease mechanisms in ASD might contribute to improving clinical care for affected individuals. Specifically, we describe a computational strategy, based on generative (e.g., hierarchical Bayesian) models of behavioral and functional neuroimaging data, for establishing diagnostic tests. These tests could provide estimates of specific cognitive processes underlying ASD and delineate pathophysiological mechanisms with concrete treatment targets. Written with a clinical audience in mind, this article outlines how the development of computational diagnostics applicable to behavioral and functional neuroimaging data in routine clinical practice could not only fundamentally alter our concept of ASD but eventually also transform the clinical management of this disorder. PMID:27378955

Analysis of the sensory profile in children with Smith-Magenis syndrome.

PubMed

Hildenbrand, Hanna L; Smith, Ann C M

2012-02-01

This study systematically assessed sensory processing in 34 children, aged 3-14 years, with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) using the Sensory Profile Caregiver Questionnaire. Scores for the SMS cohort were significantly different from scores of the national sample of children with and without disabilities in all Sensory Profile categories and quadrants (p < .001). No main effects of age or gender were found, but an interaction effect of age by gender was found in Modulation of Sensory Input Affecting Emotional Responses, in which older females presented with the lowest scores. A significant decline over time was found in the Seeking pattern, reflecting increased vulnerability (p < .05). Nonsignificant trends suggest more vulnerabilities for older versus younger children, especially older females. The neurobehavioral phenotype in children with SMS is expanded by this description of sensory processing. How children with SMS experience and respond to everyday sensations informs multidisciplinary team decisions.

Processes to Preserve Spice and Herb Quality and Sensory Integrity During Pathogen Inactivation.

PubMed

Duncan, Susan E; Moberg, Kayla; Amin, Kemia N; Wright, Melissa; Newkirk, Jordan J; Ponder, Monica A; Acuff, Gary R; Dickson, James S

2017-05-01

Selected processing methods, demonstrated to be effective at reducing Salmonella, were assessed to determine if spice and herb quality was affected. Black peppercorn, cumin seed, oregano, and onion powder were irradiated to a target dose of 8 kGy. Two additional processes were examined for whole black peppercorns and cumin seeds: ethylene oxide (EtO) fumigation and vacuum assisted-steam (82.22 °C, 7.5 psia). Treated and untreated spices/herbs were compared (visual, odor) using sensory similarity testing protocols (α = 0.20; β = 0.05; proportion of discriminators: 20%) to determine if processing altered sensory quality. Analytical assessment of quality (color, water activity, and volatile chemistry) was completed. Irradiation did not alter visual or odor sensory quality of black peppercorn, cumin seed, or oregano but created differences in onion powder, which was lighter (higher L * ) and more red (higher a * ) in color, and resulted in nearly complete loss of measured volatile compounds. EtO processing did not create detectable odor or appearance differences in black peppercorn; however visual and odor sensory quality differences, supported by changes in color (higher b * ; lower L * ) and increased concentrations of most volatiles, were detected for cumin seeds. Steam processing of black peppercorn resulted in perceptible odor differences, supported by increased concentration of monoterpene volatiles and loss of all sesquiterpenes; only visual differences were noted for cumin seed. An important step in process validation is the verification that no effect is detectable from a sensory perspective. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Food Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Institute of Food Technologists.

The Relationship between Sensory Sensitivity and Autistic Traits in the General Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Ashley E.; Simmons, David R.

2013-01-01

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) tend to have sensory processing difficulties (Baranek et al. in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 47:591-601, 2006). These difficulties include over- and under-responsiveness to sensory stimuli, and problems modulating sensory input (Ben-Sasson et al. in J Autism Dev Disorders 39:1-11, 2009). As those…

Using Movement-Based Sensory Interventions to Address Self-Stimulatory Behaviors in Students with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mays, Nicole M.; Beal-Alvarez, Jennifer; Jolivette, Kristine

2011-01-01

This article outlines a three-step process to help teachers determine whether or not the function of a student's stereotypical behavior is sensory-based and if so, how to select and monitor an appropriate sensory intervention to promote instructional engagement. In particular, characteristics of students who are seeking to gain sensory input in…

Prestimulus influences on auditory perception from sensory representations and decision processes.

PubMed

Kayser, Stephanie J; McNair, Steven W; Kayser, Christoph

2016-04-26

The qualities of perception depend not only on the sensory inputs but also on the brain state before stimulus presentation. Although the collective evidence from neuroimaging studies for a relation between prestimulus state and perception is strong, the interpretation in the context of sensory computations or decision processes has remained difficult. In the auditory system, for example, previous studies have reported a wide range of effects in terms of the perceptually relevant frequency bands and state parameters (phase/power). To dissociate influences of state on earlier sensory representations and higher-level decision processes, we collected behavioral and EEG data in human participants performing two auditory discrimination tasks relying on distinct acoustic features. Using single-trial decoding, we quantified the relation between prestimulus activity, relevant sensory evidence, and choice in different task-relevant EEG components. Within auditory networks, we found that phase had no direct influence on choice, whereas power in task-specific frequency bands affected the encoding of sensory evidence. Within later-activated frontoparietal regions, theta and alpha phase had a direct influence on choice, without involving sensory evidence. These results delineate two consistent mechanisms by which prestimulus activity shapes perception. However, the timescales of the relevant neural activity depend on the specific brain regions engaged by the respective task.

Prestimulus influences on auditory perception from sensory representations and decision processes

PubMed Central

McNair, Steven W.

2016-01-01

The qualities of perception depend not only on the sensory inputs but also on the brain state before stimulus presentation. Although the collective evidence from neuroimaging studies for a relation between prestimulus state and perception is strong, the interpretation in the context of sensory computations or decision processes has remained difficult. In the auditory system, for example, previous studies have reported a wide range of effects in terms of the perceptually relevant frequency bands and state parameters (phase/power). To dissociate influences of state on earlier sensory representations and higher-level decision processes, we collected behavioral and EEG data in human participants performing two auditory discrimination tasks relying on distinct acoustic features. Using single-trial decoding, we quantified the relation between prestimulus activity, relevant sensory evidence, and choice in different task-relevant EEG components. Within auditory networks, we found that phase had no direct influence on choice, whereas power in task-specific frequency bands affected the encoding of sensory evidence. Within later-activated frontoparietal regions, theta and alpha phase had a direct influence on choice, without involving sensory evidence. These results delineate two consistent mechanisms by which prestimulus activity shapes perception. However, the timescales of the relevant neural activity depend on the specific brain regions engaged by the respective task. PMID:27071110

The role of production process and information on quality expectations and perceptions of sparkling wines.

PubMed

Vecchio, Riccardo; Lisanti, Maria Tiziana; Caracciolo, Francesco; Cembalo, Luigi; Gambuti, Angelita; Moio, Luigi; Siani, Tiziana; Marotta, Giuseppe; Nazzaro, Concetta; Piombino, Paola

2018-05-28

The present research aims to analyse, by combining sensory and experimental economics techniques, to what extent production process, and the information about it, may affect consumer preferences. Sparkling wines produced by Champenoise and Charmat methods were the object of the study. A quantitative descriptive sensory analysis with a trained panel and non-hypothetical auctions combined with hedonic ratings involving young wine consumers (N=100), under different information scenarios(Blind, Info and Info Taste), were performed. Findings show that the production process impacts both the sensory profile of sparkling wines and consumer expectations. In particular, the hedonic ratings revealed that when tasting the products, both with no information on the production process (Blind) and with such information (Info Taste), the consumers preferred the Charmat wines. On the contrary, when detailed information on the production methods was given without tasting (Info), consumers liked more the two Champenoise wines. It can be concluded that sensory and non-sensory attributes of sparkling wines affect consumers' preferences. Specifically, the study suggests that production process information strongly impacts liking expectations, while not affecting informed liking. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

How mechanisms of perceptual decision-making affect the psychometric function

PubMed Central

Gold, Joshua I.; Ding, Long

2012-01-01

Psychometric functions are often interpreted in the context of Signal Detection Theory, which emphasizes a distinction between sensory processing and non-sensory decision rules in the brain. This framework has helped to relate perceptual sensitivity to the “neurometric” sensitivity of sensory-driven neural activity. However, perceptual sensitivity, as interpreted via Signal Detection Theory, is based on not just how the brain represents relevant sensory information, but also how that information is read out to form the decision variable to which the decision rule is applied. Here we discuss recent advances in our understanding of this readout process and describe its effects on the psychometric function. In particular, we show that particular aspects of the readout process can have specific, identifiable effects on the threshold, slope, upper asymptote, time dependence, and choice dependence of psychometric functions. To illustrate these points, we emphasize studies of perceptual learning that have identified changes in the readout process that can lead to changes in these aspects of the psychometric function. We also discuss methods that have been used to distinguish contributions of the sensory representation versus its readout to psychophysical performance. PMID:22609483

Early physiological abnormalities after simian immunodeficiency virus infection.

PubMed

Horn, T F; Huitron-Resendiz, S; Weed, M R; Henriksen, S J; Fox, H S

1998-12-08

Central nervous system (CNS) damage and dysfunction are devastating consequences of HIV infection. Although the CNS is one of the initial targets for HIV infection, little is known about early viral-induced abnormalities that can affect CNS function. Here we report the detection of early physiological abnormalities in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys. The acute infection caused a disruption of the circadian rhythm manifested by rises in body temperature, observed in all five individuals between 1 and 2 weeks postinoculation (p.i.), accompanied by a reduction in daily motor activity to 50% of control levels. Animals remained hyperthermic at 1 and 2 months p.i. and returned to preinoculation temperatures at 3 months after viral inoculation. Although motor activity recovered to baseline values at 1 month p.i., activity levels then decreased to approximately 50% of preinoculation values over the next 2 months. Analysis of sensory-evoked responses 1 month p.i. revealed distinct infection-induced changes in auditory-evoked potential peak latencies that persisted at 3 months after viral inoculation. These early physiological abnormalities may precede the development of observable cognitive or motor deficiencies and can provide an assay to evaluate agents to prevent or alleviate neuronal dysfunction.

Early physiological abnormalities after simian immunodeficiency virus infection

PubMed Central

Horn, Thomas F. W.; Huitron-Resendiz, Salvador; Weed, Michael R.; Henriksen, Steven J.; Fox, Howard S.

1998-01-01

Central nervous system (CNS) damage and dysfunction are devastating consequences of HIV infection. Although the CNS is one of the initial targets for HIV infection, little is known about early viral-induced abnormalities that can affect CNS function. Here we report the detection of early physiological abnormalities in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys. The acute infection caused a disruption of the circadian rhythm manifested by rises in body temperature, observed in all five individuals between 1 and 2 weeks postinoculation (p.i.), accompanied by a reduction in daily motor activity to 50% of control levels. Animals remained hyperthermic at 1 and 2 months p.i. and returned to preinoculation temperatures at 3 months after viral inoculation. Although motor activity recovered to baseline values at 1 month p.i., activity levels then decreased to approximately 50% of preinoculation values over the next 2 months. Analysis of sensory-evoked responses 1 month p.i. revealed distinct infection-induced changes in auditory-evoked potential peak latencies that persisted at 3 months after viral inoculation. These early physiological abnormalities may precede the development of observable cognitive or motor deficiencies and can provide an assay to evaluate agents to prevent or alleviate neuronal dysfunction. PMID:9844017

Rheological and sensory behaviors of parboiled pasta cooked using a microwave pasteurization process.

PubMed

Joyner, Helen S; Jones, Kari E; Rasco, Barbara A

2017-10-01

Pasta hydration and cooking requirements make in-package microwave pasteurization of pasta a processing challenge. The objective of this study was to assess instrumental and sensory attributes of microwave-treated pasta in comparison to conventionally cooked pasta. Fettuccine pasta was parboiled for 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12 min, pasteurized by microwaves at 915 MHz, then stored under refrigeration for 1 week. Pastas were evaluated by a trained sensory panel and with rheometry. Total pasta heat treatment affected both rheological and sensory behaviors; these differences were attributed to ultrastructure differences. Significant nonlinear behavior and dominant fluid-like behavior was observed in all pastas at strains >1%. Sensory results suggested microwave pasteurization may intensify the attributes associated with the aging of pasta such as retrogradation. A clear trend between magnitude of heat treatment and attribute intensity was not observed for all sensory attributes tested. The microwave pasta with the longest parboil time showed rheological behavior most similar to conventionally cooked pasta. Principal component analysis revealed that no microwave-treated pasta was similar to the control pasta. However, pasta parboiled for 9 min before microwave treatment had the greatest number of similar sensory attributes, followed by pasta parboiled for 6 or 12 min. Further study is needed to determine overall consumer acceptance of microwave-treated pasta and whether the differences in sensory and rheological behavior would impact consumer liking. The results of this study may be applied to optimize microwave pasteurization processes for cooked pasta and similar products, such as rice. The measurement and analysis procedures can be used to evaluate processing effects on a variety of different foods to determine overall palatability. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hydrocortisone accelerates the decay of iconic memory traces: on the modulation of executive and stimulus-driven constituents of sensory information maintenance.

PubMed

Miller, Robert; Weckesser, Lisa J; Smolka, Michael N; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Plessow, Franziska

2015-03-01

A substantial amount of research documents the impact of glucocorticoids on higher-order cognitive functioning. By contrast, surprisingly little is known about the susceptibility of basic sensory processes to glucocorticoid exposure given that the glucocorticoid receptor density in the human visual cortex exceeds those observed in prefrontal and most hippocampal brain regions. As executive tasks also rely on these sensory processes, the present study investigates the impact of glucocorticoid exposure on different performance parameters characterizing the maintenance and transfer of sensory information from iconic memory (IM; the sensory buffer of the visual system) to working memory (WM). Using a crossover factorial design, we administered one out of three doses of hydrocortisone (0.06, 0.12, or 0.24mg/kg bodyweight) and a placebo to 18 healthy young men. Thereafter participants performed a partial report task, which was used to assess their individual ability to process sensory information. Blood samples were concurrently drawn to determine free and total cortisol concentrations. The compiled pharmacokinetic and psychophysical data demonstrates that free cortisol specifically accelerated the decay of sensory information (r=0.46) without significantly affecting the selective information transfer from IM to WM or the capacity limit of WM. Specifically, nonparametric regression revealed a sigmoid dose-response relationship between free cortisol levels during the testing period and the IM decay rates. Our findings highlight that glucocorticoid exposure may not only impact on the recruitment of top-down control for an active maintenance of sensory information, but alter their passive (stimulus-driven) maintenance thereby changing the availability of information prior to subsequent executive processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peripheral neuropathy is a common manifestation of mitochondrial diseases: a single-centre experience.

PubMed

Luigetti, M; Sauchelli, D; Primiano, G; Cuccagna, C; Bernardo, D; Lo Monaco, M; Servidei, S

2016-06-01

Peripheral neuropathy in mitochondrial diseases (MDs) may vary from a subclinical finding in a multisystem syndrome to a severe, even isolated, manifestation in some patients. To investigate the involvement of the peripheral nervous system in MDs extensive electrophysiological studies were performed in 109 patients with morphological, biochemical and genetic diagnosis of MD [12 A3243G progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO)/mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), 16 myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibres (MERRF), four mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE), 67 PEO with single or multiple deletions of mitochondrial DNA, 10 others]. A neuropathy was found in 49 patients (45%). The incidence was very high in MNGIE (100%), MELAS (92%) and MERRF (69%), whilst 28% of PEO patients had evidence of peripheral involvement. The most frequent abnormality was a sensory axonal neuropathy found in 32/49 patients (65%). A sensory-motor axonal neuropathy was instead detected in 16% of the patients and sensory-motor axonal demyelinating neuropathy in 16%. Finally one Leigh patient had a motor axonal neuropathy. It is interesting to note that the great majority had preserved tendon reflexes and no sensory disturbances. In conclusion, peripheral involvement in MD is frequent even if often mild or asymptomatic. The correct identification and characterization of peripheral neuropathy through electrophysiological studies represents another tile in the challenge of MD diagnosis. © 2016 EAN.

Do early sensory cortices integrate cross-modal information?

PubMed

Kayser, Christoph; Logothetis, Nikos K

2007-09-01

Our different senses provide complementary evidence about the environment and their interaction often aids behavioral performance or alters the quality of the sensory percept. A traditional view defers the merging of sensory information to higher association cortices, and posits that a large part of the brain can be reduced into a collection of unisensory systems that can be studied in isolation. Recent studies, however, challenge this view and suggest that cross-modal interactions can already occur in areas hitherto regarded as unisensory. We review results from functional imaging and electrophysiology exemplifying cross-modal interactions that occur early during the evoked response, and at the earliest stages of sensory cortical processing. Although anatomical studies revealed several potential origins of these cross-modal influences, there is yet no clear relation between particular functional observations and specific anatomical connections. In addition, our view on sensory integration at the neuronal level is coined by many studies on subcortical model systems of sensory integration; yet, the patterns of cross-modal interaction in cortex deviate from these model systems in several ways. Consequently, future studies on cortical sensory integration need to leave the descriptive level and need to incorporate cross-modal influences into models of the organization of sensory processing. Only then will we be able to determine whether early cross-modal interactions truly merit the label sensory integration, and how they increase a sensory system's ability to scrutinize its environment and finally aid behavior.

Perception as a closed-loop convergence process.

PubMed

Ahissar, Ehud; Assa, Eldad

2016-05-09

Perception of external objects involves sensory acquisition via the relevant sensory organs. A widely-accepted assumption is that the sensory organ is the first station in a serial chain of processing circuits leading to an internal circuit in which a percept emerges. This open-loop scheme, in which the interaction between the sensory organ and the environment is not affected by its concurrent downstream neuronal processing, is strongly challenged by behavioral and anatomical data. We present here a hypothesis in which the perception of external objects is a closed-loop dynamical process encompassing loops that integrate the organism and its environment and converging towards organism-environment steady-states. We discuss the consistency of closed-loop perception (CLP) with empirical data and show that it can be synthesized in a robotic setup. Testable predictions are proposed for empirical distinction between open and closed loop schemes of perception.

Perception as a closed-loop convergence process

PubMed Central

Ahissar, Ehud; Assa, Eldad

2016-01-01

Perception of external objects involves sensory acquisition via the relevant sensory organs. A widely-accepted assumption is that the sensory organ is the first station in a serial chain of processing circuits leading to an internal circuit in which a percept emerges. This open-loop scheme, in which the interaction between the sensory organ and the environment is not affected by its concurrent downstream neuronal processing, is strongly challenged by behavioral and anatomical data. We present here a hypothesis in which the perception of external objects is a closed-loop dynamical process encompassing loops that integrate the organism and its environment and converging towards organism-environment steady-states. We discuss the consistency of closed-loop perception (CLP) with empirical data and show that it can be synthesized in a robotic setup. Testable predictions are proposed for empirical distinction between open and closed loop schemes of perception. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12830.001 PMID:27159238

Discriminating Children with Autism from Children with Learning Difficulties with an Adaptation of the Short Sensory Profile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Justin; Tsermentseli, Stella; Cummins, Omar; Happe, Francesca; Heaton, Pamela; Spencer, Janine

2009-01-01

In this article, we examine the extent to which children with autism and children with learning difficulties can be discriminated from their responses to different patterns of sensory stimuli. Using an adapted version of the Short Sensory Profile (SSP), sensory processing was compared in 34 children with autism to 33 children with typical…

Visual function and cognitive speed of processing mediate age-related decline in memory span and fluid intelligence

PubMed Central

Clay, Olivio J.; Edwards, Jerri D.; Ross, Lesley A.; Okonkwo, Ozioma; Wadley, Virginia G.; Roth, David L.; Ball, Karlene K.

2010-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between sensory and cognitive decline, particularly with respect to speed of processing, memory span, and fluid intelligence. Additionally, the common cause, sensory degradation and speed of processing hypotheses were compared. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the complex relationships among age-related decrements in these areas. Results: Cross-sectional data analyses included 842 older adult participants (M = 73 years). After accounting for age-related declines in vision and processing speed, the direct associations between age and memory span and between age and fluid intelligence were nonsignificant. Older age was associated with visual decline, which was associated with slower speed of processing, which in turn was associated with greater cognitive deficits. Discussion: The findings support both the sensory degradation and speed of processing accounts of age-related cognitive decline. Further, the findings highlight positive aspects of normal cognitive aging in that older age may not be associated with a loss of fluid intelligence if visual sensory functioning and processing speed can be maintained. PMID:19436063

Central Processing Dysfunctions in Children: A Review of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalfant, James C.; Scheffelin, Margaret A.

Research on central processing dysfunctions in children is reviewed in three major areas. The first, dysfunctions in the analysis of sensory information, includes auditory, visual, and haptic processing. The second, dysfunction in the synthesis of sensory information, covers multiple stimulus integration and short-term memory. The third area of…

Phenol induced by irradiation does not impair sensory quality of fenugreek and papaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Suchandra; Variyar, Prasad S.; Sharma, Arun

2013-11-01

The effect of radiation processing on the sensory quality of fenugreek and papaya exposed to doses in the range of 2.5-10 kGy and 100 Gy-2.5 kGy respectively was investigated. Despite an increase in the content of phenol in the volatile oil of these food products overall sensory quality of the irradiated and control samples was not significantly affected by radiation processing.

Posterior insular cortex – a site of vestibular–somatosensory interaction?

PubMed Central

Baier, Bernhard; zu Eulenburg, Peter; Best, Christoph; Geber, Christian; Müller-Forell, Wibke; Birklein, Frank; Dieterich, Marianne

2013-01-01

Background In previous imaging studies the insular cortex (IC) has been identified as an essential part of the processing of a wide spectrum of perception and sensorimotor integration. Yet, there are no systematic lesion studies in a sufficient number of patients examining whether processing of vestibular and the interaction of somatosensory and vestibular signals take place in the IC. Methods We investigated acute stroke patients with lesions affecting the IC in order to fill this gap. In detail, we explored signs of a vestibular tone imbalance such as the deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). We applied voxel-lesion behaviour mapping analysis in 27 patients with acute unilateral stroke. Results Our data demonstrate that patients with lesions of the posterior IC have an abnormal tilt of SVV. Furthermore, re-analysing data of 20 patients from a previous study, we found a positive correlation between thermal perception contralateral to the stroke and the severity of the SVV tilt. Conclusions We conclude that the IC is a sensory brain region where different modalities might interact. PMID:24392273

Amygdala in action: relaying biological and social significance to autobiographical memory.

PubMed

Markowitsch, Hans J; Staniloiu, Angelica

2011-03-01

The human amygdala is strongly embedded in numerous other structures of the limbic system, but is also a hub for a multitude of other brain regions it is connected with. Its major involvement in various kinds of integrative sensory and emotional functions makes it a cornerstone for self-relevant biological and social appraisals of the environment and consequently also for the processing of autobiographical events. Given its contribution to the integration of emotion, perception and cognition (including memory for past autobiographical events) the amygdala also forges the establishment and maintenance of an integrated self. Damage or disturbances of amygdalar connectivity may therefore lead to disconnection syndromes, in which the synchronous processing of affective and cognitive aspects of memory is impaired. We will provide support for this thesis by reviewing data from patients with a rare experiment of nature - Urbach-Wiethe disease - as well as other conditions associated with amygdala abnormalities. With respect to memory processing, we propose that the amygdala's role is to charge cues so that mnemonic events of a specific emotional significance can be successfully searched within the appropriate neural nets and re-activated. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Agar Gel Strength and Fat on Oral Breakdown, Volatile Release, and Sensory Perception Using in Vivo and in Vitro Systems.

PubMed

Frank, Damian; Eyres, Graham T; Piyasiri, Udayasika; Cochet-Broch, Maeva; Delahunty, Conor M; Lundin, Leif; Appelqvist, Ingrid M

2015-10-21

The density and composition of a food matrix affect the rates of oral breakdown and in-mouth flavor release as well as the overall sensory experience. Agar gels of increasing concentration (1.0, 1.7, 2.9, and 5% agarose) with and without added fat (0, 2, 5, and 10%) were spiked with seven aroma volatiles. Differences in oral processing and sensory perception were systematically measured by a trained panel using a discrete interval time intensity method. Volatile release was measured in vivo and in vitro by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Greater oral processing was required as agar gel strength increased, and the intensity of flavor-related sensory attributes decreased. Volatile release was inversely related to gel strength, showing that physicochemical phenomena were the main mechanisms underlying the perceived sensory changes. Fat addition reduced the amount of oral processing and had differential effects on release, depending on the fat solubility or lipophilicity of the volatiles.

Sensory processing issues in young children presenting to an outpatient feeding clinic.

PubMed

Davis, Ann M; Bruce, Amanda S; Khasawneh, Rima; Schulz, Trina; Fox, Catherine; Dunn, Winifred

2013-02-01

The aim of the study was to describe the relation between sensory issues and medical complexity in a series of patients presenting to an outpatient multidisciplinary feeding team for evaluation, by a standardized measure of sensory-processing abilities. A retrospective chart review of all of the patients seen from 2004 to 2009 on 2 key variables: medical diagnostic category and short sensory profile (SSP) score. On the SSP, 67.6% of children scored in the clinical ("definite difference") range. The most common diagnostic categories were developmental (n = 23), gastrointestinal (n = 16), and neurological (n = 13). Behavioral and cardiorespiratory medical diagnostic categories were significantly related to SSP total score and SSP definite difference score. Children who present for feeding evaluation do indeed tend to have clinically elevated scores regarding sensory processing, and these elevated scores are significantly related to certain medical diagnostic categories. Future research is needed to determine why these significant relations exist as well as their implications for treatment of feeding-related issues.

Modality-specific spectral dynamics in response to visual and tactile sequential shape information processing tasks: An MEG study using multivariate pattern classification analysis.

PubMed

Gohel, Bakul; Lee, Peter; Jeong, Yong

2016-08-01

Brain regions that respond to more than one sensory modality are characterized as multisensory regions. Studies on the processing of shape or object information have revealed recruitment of the lateral occipital cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and other regions regardless of input sensory modalities. However, it remains unknown whether such regions show similar (modality-invariant) or different (modality-specific) neural oscillatory dynamics, as recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG), in response to identical shape information processing tasks delivered to different sensory modalities. Modality-invariant or modality-specific neural oscillatory dynamics indirectly suggest modality-independent or modality-dependent participation of particular brain regions, respectively. Therefore, this study investigated the modality-specificity of neural oscillatory dynamics in the form of spectral power modulation patterns in response to visual and tactile sequential shape-processing tasks that are well-matched in terms of speed and content between the sensory modalities. Task-related changes in spectral power modulation and differences in spectral power modulation between sensory modalities were investigated at source-space (voxel) level, using a multivariate pattern classification (MVPC) approach. Additionally, whole analyses were extended from the voxel level to the independent-component level to take account of signal leakage effects caused by inverse solution. The modality-specific spectral dynamics in multisensory and higher-order brain regions, such as the lateral occipital cortex, posterior parietal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, and other brain regions, showed task-related modulation in response to both sensory modalities. This suggests modality-dependency of such brain regions on the input sensory modality for sequential shape-information processing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Episodic Memory Retrieval Functionally Relies on Very Rapid Reactivation of Sensory Information.

PubMed

Waldhauser, Gerd T; Braun, Verena; Hanslmayr, Simon

2016-01-06

Episodic memory retrieval is assumed to rely on the rapid reactivation of sensory information that was present during encoding, a process termed "ecphory." We investigated the functional relevance of this scarcely understood process in two experiments in human participants. We presented stimuli to the left or right of fixation at encoding, followed by an episodic memory test with centrally presented retrieval cues. This allowed us to track the reactivation of lateralized sensory memory traces during retrieval. Successful episodic retrieval led to a very early (∼100-200 ms) reactivation of lateralized alpha/beta (10-25 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) power decreases in the visual cortex contralateral to the visual field at encoding. Applying rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation to interfere with early retrieval processing in the visual cortex led to decreased episodic memory performance specifically for items encoded in the visual field contralateral to the site of stimulation. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that episodic memory functionally relies on very rapid reactivation of sensory information. Remembering personal experiences requires a "mental time travel" to revisit sensory information perceived in the past. This process is typically described as a controlled, relatively slow process. However, by using electroencephalography to measure neural activity with a high time resolution, we show that such episodic retrieval entails a very rapid reactivation of sensory brain areas. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation to alter brain function during retrieval revealed that this early sensory reactivation is causally relevant for conscious remembering. These results give first neural evidence for a functional, preconscious component of episodic remembering. This provides new insight into the nature of human memory and may help in the understanding of psychiatric conditions that involve the automatic intrusion of unwanted memories. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/360251-10$15.00/0.

Survival analysis applied to the sensory shelf-life dating of high hydrostatic pressure processed avocado and mango pulps.

PubMed

Jacobo-Velázquez, D A; Ramos-Parra, P A; Hernández-Brenes, C

2010-08-01

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) pasteurized and refrigerated avocado and mango pulps contain lower microbial counts and thus are safer and acceptable for human consumption for a longer period of time, when compared to fresh unprocessed pulps. However, during their commercial shelf life, changes in their sensory characteristics take place and eventually produce the rejection of these products by consumers. Therefore, in the present study, the use of sensory evaluation was proposed for the shelf-life determinations of HHP-processed avocado and mango pulps. The study focused on evaluating the feasibility of applying survival analysis methodology to the data generated by consumers in order to determine the sensory shelf lives of both HHP-treated pulps of avocado and mango. Survival analysis proved to be an effective methodology for the estimation of the sensory shelf life of avocado and mango pulps processed with HHP, with potential application for other pressurized products. Practical Application: At present, HHP processing is one of the most effective alternatives for the commercial nonthermal pasteurization of fresh tropical fruits. HHP processing improves the microbial stability of the fruit pulps significantly; however, the products continue to deteriorate during their refrigerated storage mainly due to the action of residual detrimental enzymes. This article proposes the application of survival analysis methodology for the determination of the sensory shelf life of HHP-treated avocado and mango pulps. Results demonstrated that the procedure appears to be simple and practical for the sensory shelf-life determination of HHP-treated foods when their main mode of failure is not caused by increases in microbiological counts that can affect human health.

Dynamic combination of sensory and reward information under time pressure

PubMed Central

Farashahi, Shiva; Kao, Chang-Hao

2018-01-01

When making choices, collecting more information is beneficial but comes at the cost of sacrificing time that could be allocated to making other potentially rewarding decisions. To investigate how the brain balances these costs and benefits, we conducted a series of novel experiments in humans and simulated various computational models. Under six levels of time pressure, subjects made decisions either by integrating sensory information over time or by dynamically combining sensory and reward information over time. We found that during sensory integration, time pressure reduced performance as the deadline approached, and choice was more strongly influenced by the most recent sensory evidence. By fitting performance and reaction time with various models we found that our experimental results are more compatible with leaky integration of sensory information with an urgency signal or a decision process based on stochastic transitions between discrete states modulated by an urgency signal. When combining sensory and reward information, subjects spent less time on integration than optimally prescribed when reward decreased slowly over time, and the most recent evidence did not have the maximal influence on choice. The suboptimal pattern of reaction time was partially mitigated in an equivalent control experiment in which sensory integration over time was not required, indicating that the suboptimal response time was influenced by the perception of imperfect sensory integration. Meanwhile, during combination of sensory and reward information, performance did not drop as the deadline approached, and response time was not different between correct and incorrect trials. These results indicate a decision process different from what is involved in the integration of sensory information over time. Together, our results not only reveal limitations in sensory integration over time but also illustrate how these limitations influence dynamic combination of sensory and reward information. PMID:29584717

Abnormal regional cerebral blood flow in childhood autism.

PubMed

Ohnishi, T; Matsuda, H; Hashimoto, T; Kunihiro, T; Nishikawa, M; Uema, T; Sasaki, M

2000-09-01

Neuroimaging studies of autism have shown abnormalities in the limbic system and cerebellar circuits and additional sites. These findings are not, however, specific or consistent enough to build up a coherent theory of the origin and nature of the brain abnormality in autistic patients. Twenty-three children with infantile autism and 26 non-autistic controls matched for IQ and age were examined using brain-perfusion single photon emission computed tomography with technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer. In autistic subjects, we assessed the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and symptom profiles. Images were anatomically normalized, and voxel-by-voxel analyses were performed. Decreases in rCBF in autistic patients compared with the control group were identified in the bilateral insula, superior temporal gyri and left prefrontal cortices. Analysis of the correlations between syndrome scores and rCBF revealed that each syndrome was associated with a specific pattern of perfusion in the limbic system and the medial prefrontal cortex. The results confirmed the associations of (i) impairments in communication and social interaction that are thought to be related to deficits in the theory of mind (ToM) with altered perfusion in the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus, and (ii) the obsessive desire for sameness with altered perfusion in the right medial temporal lobe. The perfusion abnormalities seem to be related to the cognitive dysfunction observed in autism, such as deficits in ToM, abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, and the obsessive desire for sameness. The perfusion patterns suggest possible locations of abnormalities of brain function underlying abnormal behaviour patterns in autistic individuals.

Individual differences in emotionality and peri-traumatic processing.

PubMed

Logan, Shanna; O'Kearney, Richard

2012-06-01

Recent cognitive models propose that intrusive trauma memories arise and persist because high levels of emotional arousal triggered by the trauma disrupt conceptual processing of elements of the event, while enhancing sensory/perceptual processing. A trauma film analogue design was used to investigate if the predicted facilitating effects on intrusions from inhibiting conceptual processing and predicted attenuating effects on intrusions from inhibiting sensory processing are moderated by individual differences in emotionality. One hundred and five non-clinical participants viewed a traumatic film while undertaking a conceptual interference task, a sensory interference task, or no interference task. Participants recorded the frequency and intensity of intrusions over the following week. There was no facilitating effect for the conceptual interference task compared to no interference task. A significant attenuation of the frequency of intrusions was evident for those undertaking sensory interference (ŋ(2) = .04). This effect, however, was only present for those with high trait anxiety (d = .82) and not for those with low trait anxiety (d = .08). Relative to high trait anxious controls, high anxious participants who undertook sensory interference also reported lower intensity of intrusions (d = .66). This is the first trauma film analogue study to show that the attenuating effect of concurrent sensory/perceptual processing on the frequency and intensity of subsequent intrusions is evident only for people with high trait anxiety. The results have implications for conceptual models of intrusion development and for their application to the prevention of post traumatic distress. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resting State Activity and the “Stream of Consciousness” in Schizophrenia—Neurophenomenal Hypotheses

PubMed Central

Northoff, Georg

2015-01-01

Schizophrenia is a multifaceted disorder with various symptoms including auditory hallucinations, egodisturbances, passivity phenomena, and delusions. Recent neurobiological approaches have focused on, especially, the abnormal contents of consciousness, the “substantive parts” as James said, to associate them with the neural mechanisms related to sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, and the brain’s underlying stimulus-induced or task-evoked activity. This leaves open, however, the neural mechanisms that provide the temporal linkage or glue between the various contents, the transitive parts that makes possible the “stream of consciousness.” Interestingly, schizophrenic patients seem to suffer from abnormalities specifically in the “transitive parts” when they experience contents as temporally disconnected or fragmented which in phenomenological psychiatry has been described as “temporal fragmentation.” The aim of this article is to develop so-called neurophenomenal hypothesis about the direct relationship between phenomenal features of the “stream of consciousness,” the “transitive parts,” and the specific neuronal mechanisms in schizophrenia as based on healthy subjects. Rather than emphasizing stimulus-induced and task-evoked activity and sensory and lateral prefrontal cortical regions as in neurocognitive approaches with their focus on the “substantive parts,” the focus shifts here to the brain’s intrinsic activity, its resting state activity, which may account for the temporal linkage or glue between the contents of consciousness, the transitive parts. PMID:25150784

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies or Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseases: an update.

PubMed

Tazir, Meriem; Hamadouche, Tarik; Nouioua, Sonia; Mathis, Stephane; Vallat, Jean-Michel

2014-12-15

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies (HMSN) or Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases are the most common degenerative disorders of the peripheral nervous system. However, the frequency of the different subtypes varies within distinct populations. Although more than seventy clinical and genetic forms are known to date, more than 80% of CMT patients in Western countries have genetic abnormalities associated with PMP22, MPZ, MFN2 and GJB1. Given the considerable genetic heterogeneity of CMT, we emphasize the interest of both clinical and pathological specific features such that focused genetic testing could be performed. In this regard, peripheral nerve lesions in GDAP1 mutations (AR CMT1A), such as mitochondrial abnormalities, have been newly demonstrated. Otherwise, while demyelinating autosomal recessive CMT used to be classified as CMT4 (A, B, C …), we propose a simplified classification such as AR CMT1 (A, B, C …), and AR CMT2 for axonal forms. Also, we stress that next generation sequencing techniques, now considered to be the most efficient methods of genetic testing in CMT, will be helpful in molecular diagnosis and research of new genes involved. Finally, while no effective therapy is known to date, ongoing new therapeutic trials such as PXT3003 (a low dose combination of the three already approved drugs baclofen, naltrexone, and D-sorbitol) give hopes for potential curative treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Behavioral and Functional Assays for Investigating Mechanisms of Noxious Cold Detection and Multimodal Sensory Processing in Drosophila Larvae

PubMed Central

Patel, Atit A.; Cox, Daniel N.

2017-01-01

To investigate cellular, molecular and behavioral mechanisms of noxious cold detection, we developed cold plate behavioral assays and quantitative means for evaluating the predominant noxious cold-evoked contraction behavior. To characterize neural activity in response to noxious cold, we implemented a GCaMP6-based calcium imaging assay enabling in vivo studies of intracellular calcium dynamics in intact Drosophila larvae. We identified Drosophila class III multidendritic (md) sensory neurons as multimodal sensors of innocuous mechanical and noxious cold stimuli and to dissect the mechanistic bases of multimodal sensory processing we developed two independent functional assays. First, we developed an optogenetic dose response assay to assess whether levels of neural activation contributes to the multimodal aspects of cold sensitive sensory neurons. Second, we utilized CaMPARI, a photo-switchable calcium integrator that stably converts fluorescence from green to red in presence of high intracellular calcium and photo-converting light, to assess in vivo functional differences in neural activation levels between innocuous mechanical and noxious cold stimuli. These novel assays enable investigations of behavioral and functional roles of peripheral sensory neurons and multimodal sensory processing in Drosophila larvae. PMID:28835907

Heteromodal Cortical Areas Encode Sensory-Motor Features of Word Meaning.

PubMed

Fernandino, Leonardo; Humphries, Colin J; Conant, Lisa L; Seidenberg, Mark S; Binder, Jeffrey R

2016-09-21

The capacity to process information in conceptual form is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, yet little is known about how this type of information is encoded in the brain. Although the role of sensory and motor cortical areas has been a focus of recent debate, neuroimaging studies of concept representation consistently implicate a network of heteromodal areas that seem to support concept retrieval in general rather than knowledge related to any particular sensory-motor content. We used predictive machine learning on fMRI data to investigate the hypothesis that cortical areas in this "general semantic network" (GSN) encode multimodal information derived from basic sensory-motor processes, possibly functioning as convergence-divergence zones for distributed concept representation. An encoding model based on five conceptual attributes directly related to sensory-motor experience (sound, color, shape, manipulability, and visual motion) was used to predict brain activation patterns associated with individual lexical concepts in a semantic decision task. When the analysis was restricted to voxels in the GSN, the model was able to identify the activation patterns corresponding to individual concrete concepts significantly above chance. In contrast, a model based on five perceptual attributes of the word form performed at chance level. This pattern was reversed when the analysis was restricted to areas involved in the perceptual analysis of written word forms. These results indicate that heteromodal areas involved in semantic processing encode information about the relative importance of different sensory-motor attributes of concepts, possibly by storing particular combinations of sensory and motor features. The present study used a predictive encoding model of word semantics to decode conceptual information from neural activity in heteromodal cortical areas. The model is based on five sensory-motor attributes of word meaning (color, shape, sound, visual motion, and manipulability) and encodes the relative importance of each attribute to the meaning of a word. This is the first demonstration that heteromodal areas involved in semantic processing can discriminate between different concepts based on sensory-motor information alone. This finding indicates that the brain represents concepts as multimodal combinations of sensory and motor representations. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/369763-07$15.00/0.

Sensory shelf-life limiting factor of high hydrostatic pressure processed avocado paste.

PubMed

Jacobo-Velázquez, D A; Hernández-Brenes, C

2011-08-01

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing pasteurizes avocado paste without a significant impact on flavor. Although HHP-treated avocado paste stored under refrigeration is safe for human consumption for months, sensory changes taking place during storage cause the rejection of the product by consumers within days. Although it is known that the shelf life of the product ends before its microbial counts are high, its sensory shelf life limiting factor remains unknown. The present study focused on the use of a trained panel and a consumer panel to determine the sensory shelf life limiting factor of HHP-treated avocado paste. The trained panel identified sour and rancid flavors as the main sensory descriptors (critical descriptors) that differentiated stored from freshly processed samples. Further data obtained from consumers identified sour flavor as the main cause for a significant decrease in the acceptability (shelf life limiting factor) of refrigerated HHP-treated avocado paste. The study allowed the elucidation of a proposed deterioration mechanism for HHP-treated avocado paste during its refrigerated shelf life. The information through this work enhances scientific knowledge of the product and proposes the sour flavor development during storage as a relevant sensory attribute that needs to be improved in order to enhance the product shelf life. At present, HHP is the most effective commercial nonthermal technology to process avocado paste when compared to thermal and chemical alternatives. HHP-treated avocado paste is a microbiologically stable food for a period of at least 45 d stored under refrigeration. However, previous published work indicated that consumers rejected the product after approximately 19 d of storage due to sensory changes. This manuscript presents a sensory study that permitted the identification of the critical sensory descriptor that is acting as the sensory shelf life limiting factor of the product. The data presented herein along with previous reported data allows a better understanding of the deterioration mechanism that occurs during the storage of HHP-treated avocado paste. This information is relevant and useful for the elucidation of possible alternatives to enhance the shelf life of HHP-treated avocado paste. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Late development of cue integration is linked to sensory fusion in cortex.

PubMed

Dekker, Tessa M; Ban, Hiroshi; van der Velde, Bauke; Sereno, Martin I; Welchman, Andrew E; Nardini, Marko

2015-11-02

Adults optimize perceptual judgements by integrating different types of sensory information [1, 2]. This engages specialized neural circuits that fuse signals from the same [3-5] or different [6] modalities. Whereas young children can use sensory cues independently, adult-like precision gains from cue combination only emerge around ages 10 to 11 years [7-9]. Why does it take so long to make best use of sensory information? Existing data cannot distinguish whether this (1) reflects surprisingly late changes in sensory processing (sensory integration mechanisms in the brain are still developing) or (2) depends on post-perceptual changes (integration in sensory cortex is adult-like, but higher-level decision processes do not access the information) [10]. We tested visual depth cue integration in the developing brain to distinguish these possibilities. We presented children aged 6-12 years with displays depicting depth from binocular disparity and relative motion and made measurements using psychophysics, retinotopic mapping, and pattern classification fMRI. Older children (>10.5 years) showed clear evidence for sensory fusion in V3B, a visual area thought to integrate depth cues in the adult brain [3-5]. By contrast, in younger children (<10.5 years), there was no evidence for sensory fusion in any visual area. This significant age difference was paired with a shift in perceptual performance around ages 10 to 11 years and could not be explained by motion artifacts, visual attention, or signal quality differences. Thus, whereas many basic visual processes mature early in childhood [11, 12], the brain circuits that fuse cues take a very long time to develop. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Late Development of Cue Integration Is Linked to Sensory Fusion in Cortex

PubMed Central

Dekker, Tessa M.; Ban, Hiroshi; van der Velde, Bauke; Sereno, Martin I.; Welchman, Andrew E.; Nardini, Marko

2015-01-01

Summary Adults optimize perceptual judgements by integrating different types of sensory information [1, 2]. This engages specialized neural circuits that fuse signals from the same [3, 4, 5] or different [6] modalities. Whereas young children can use sensory cues independently, adult-like precision gains from cue combination only emerge around ages 10 to 11 years [7, 8, 9]. Why does it take so long to make best use of sensory information? Existing data cannot distinguish whether this (1) reflects surprisingly late changes in sensory processing (sensory integration mechanisms in the brain are still developing) or (2) depends on post-perceptual changes (integration in sensory cortex is adult-like, but higher-level decision processes do not access the information) [10]. We tested visual depth cue integration in the developing brain to distinguish these possibilities. We presented children aged 6–12 years with displays depicting depth from binocular disparity and relative motion and made measurements using psychophysics, retinotopic mapping, and pattern classification fMRI. Older children (>10.5 years) showed clear evidence for sensory fusion in V3B, a visual area thought to integrate depth cues in the adult brain [3, 4, 5]. By contrast, in younger children (<10.5 years), there was no evidence for sensory fusion in any visual area. This significant age difference was paired with a shift in perceptual performance around ages 10 to 11 years and could not be explained by motion artifacts, visual attention, or signal quality differences. Thus, whereas many basic visual processes mature early in childhood [11, 12], the brain circuits that fuse cues take a very long time to develop. PMID:26480841

Efficacy of a sound-based intervention with a child with an autism spectrum disorder and auditory sensory over-responsivity.

PubMed

Gee, Bryan M; Thompson, Kelly; St John, Holly

2014-03-01

Sound-based interventions (SBIs) are being used by paediatric occupational therapists to help children with autism spectrum disorders and co-morbid sensory processing disorders. A limited yet growing body of evidence is emerging related to the efficacy of SBIs in reducing sensory processing deficits among paediatric clients with co-morbid conditions. The current study employed an ABA single-subject case-controlled design, implementing The Listening Program® with a 7-year-old child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who demonstrated auditory sensory over-responsivity (SOR). The intervention consisted of 10 weeks of psycho-acoustically modified classical music that was delivered using specialized headphones and amplifier and a standard CD player. Repeated measures were conducted during the A(1), B and A(2) phases of the study using the Sensory Processing Measure, a subjective caregiver questionnaire, and the Sensory Over-Responsivity Scales, an examiner-based assessment measure to track changes of the participant's auditory SOR-related behaviours. The results indicated that the participant exhibited a decrease in the number of negative (avoidant, verbal and physical negative) and self-stimulatory behaviours. The decreases in negative and self-stimulatory behaviour may have been due to the therapeutic effect of the repeated exposure to the Sensory Over-Responsivity Scales or The Listening Program SBI. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Manually controlled human balancing using visual, vestibular and proprioceptive senses involves a common, low frequency neural process

PubMed Central

Lakie, Martin; Loram, Ian D

2006-01-01

Ten subjects balanced their own body or a mechanically equivalent unstable inverted pendulum by hand, through a compliant spring linkage. Their balancing process was always characterized by repeated small reciprocating hand movements. These bias adjustments were an observable sign of intermittent alterations in neural output. On average, the adjustments occurred at intervals of ∼400 ms. To generate appropriate stabilizing bias adjustments, sensory information about body or load movement is needed. Subjects used visual, vestibular or proprioceptive sensation alone and in combination to perform the tasks. We first ask, is the time between adjustments (bias duration) sensory specific? Vision is associated with slow responses. Other senses involved with balance are known to be faster. Our second question is; does bias duration depend on sensory abundance? An appropriate bias adjustment cannot occur until unplanned motion is unambiguously perceived (a sensory threshold). The addition of more sensory data should therefore expedite action, decreasing the mean bias adjustment duration. Statistical analysis showed that (1) the mean bias adjustment duration was remarkably independent of the sensory modality and (2) the addition of one or two sensory modalities made a small, but significant, decrease in the mean bias adjustment duration. Thus, a threshold effect can alter only a very minor part of the bias duration. The bias adjustment duration in manual balancing must reflect something more than visual sensation and perceptual thresholds; our suggestion is that it is a common central motor planning process. We predict that similar processes may be identified in the control of standing. PMID:16959857

NPY2-receptor variation modulates iconic memory processes.

PubMed

Arning, Larissa; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Kloster, Eugen; Epplen, Jörg T; Beste, Christian

2014-08-01

Sensory memory systems are modality-specific buffers that comprise information about external stimuli, which represent the earliest stage of information processing. While these systems have been the subject of cognitive neuroscience research for decades, little is known about the neurobiological basis of sensory memory. However, accumulating evidence suggests that the glutamatergic system and systems influencing glutamatergic neural transmission are important. In the current study we examine if functional promoter variations in neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptor gene NPY2R affect iconic memory processes using a partial report paradigm. We found that iconic memory decayed much faster in individuals carrying the rare promoter NPY2R G allele which is associated with increased expression of the Y2 receptor. Possibly this effect is due to altered presynaptic inhibition of glutamate release, known to be modulated by Y2 receptors. Altogether, our results provide evidence that the functionally relevant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the NPY2R promoter gene affect circumscribed processes of early sensory processing, i.e. only the stability of information in sensory memory buffers. This leads us to suggest that especially the stability of information in sensory memory buffers depends on glutamatergic neural transmission and factors modulating glutamatergic turnover. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Age-Related Changes in Visual Temporal Order Judgment Performance: Relation to Sensory and Cognitive Capacities

PubMed Central

Busey, Thomas; Craig, James; Clark, Chris; Humes, Larry

2010-01-01

Five measures of temporal order judgments were obtained from 261 participants, including 146 elder, 44 middle aged, and 71 young participants. Strong age group differences were observed in all five measures, although the group differences were reduced when letter discriminability was matched for all participants. Significant relations were found between these measures of temporal processing and several cognitive and sensory assays, and structural equation modeling revealed the degree to which temporal order processing can be viewed as a latent factor that depends in part on contributions from sensory and cognitive capacities. The best-fitting model involved two different latent factors representing temporal order processing at same and different locations, and the sensory and cognitive factors were more successful predicting performance in the different location factor than the same-location factor. Processing speed, even measured using high-contrast symbols on a paper-and-pencil test, was a surprisingly strong predictor of variability in both latent factors. However, low-level sensory measures also made significant contributions to the latent factors. The results demonstrate the degree to which temporal order processing relates to other perceptual and cognitive capacities, and address the question of whether age-related declines in these capacities share a common cause. PMID:20580644

Age-related changes in visual temporal order judgment performance: Relation to sensory and cognitive capacities.

PubMed

Busey, Thomas; Craig, James; Clark, Chris; Humes, Larry

2010-08-06

Five measures of temporal order judgments were obtained from 261 participants, including 146 elder, 44 middle aged, and 71 young participants. Strong age group differences were observed in all five measures, although the group differences were reduced when letter discriminability was matched for all participants. Significant relations were found between these measures of temporal processing and several cognitive and sensory assays, and structural equation modeling revealed the degree to which temporal order processing can be viewed as a latent factor that depends in part on contributions from sensory and cognitive capacities. The best-fitting model involved two different latent factors representing temporal order processing at same and different locations, and the sensory and cognitive factors were more successful predicting performance in the different location factor than the same-location factor. Processing speed, even measured using high-contrast symbols on a paper-and-pencil test, was a surprisingly strong predictor of variability in both latent factors. However, low-level sensory measures also made significant contributions to the latent factors. The results demonstrate the degree to which temporal order processing relates to other perceptual and cognitive capacities, and address the question of whether age-related declines in these capacities share a common cause. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Walking" through the sensory, cognitive, and temporal degradations of healthy aging.

PubMed

Paraskevoudi, Nadia; Balcı, Fuat; Vatakis, Argiro

2018-05-09

As we age, there is a wide range of changes in motor, sensory, cognitive, and temporal processing due to alterations in the functioning of the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Specifically, aging is associated with degradations in gait; altered processing of the individual sensory systems; modifications in executive control, memory, and attention; and changes in temporal processing. These age-related alterations are often inter-related and have been suggested to result from shared neural substrates. Additionally, the overlap between these brain areas and those controlling walking raises the possibility of facilitating performance in several tasks by introducing protocols that can efficiently target all four domains. Attempts to counteract these negative effects of normal aging have been focusing on research to prevent falls and/or enhance cognitive processes, while ignoring the potential multisensory benefits accompanying old age. Research shows that the aging brain tends to increasingly rely on multisensory integration to compensate for degradations in individual sensory systems and for altered neural functioning. This review covers the age-related changes in the above-mentioned domains and the potential to exploit the benefits associated with multisensory integration in aging so as to improve one's mobility and enhance sensory, cognitive, and temporal processing. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

The effects of multiple antimicrobial interventions on processing, lipid, textural, instrumental color and sensory characteristics when used in a ground beef patty production system.

PubMed

Jimenez-Villarreal, J R; Pohlman, F W; Johnson, Z B; Brown, A H

2003-11-01

The impact of multiple antimicrobial interventions on ground beef processing, lipid, textural, instrumental color and sensory characteristics were evaluated. Beef trimmings were treated with 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride followed by 10% trisodium phosphate (CT), 200-ppm chlorine dioxide followed by 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride (CLC), 200-ppm chlorine dioxide followed by 10% trisodium phosphate (CLT), or 2% lactic acid followed by 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride (LC) and compared to an untreated control (C). Sensory panelists found LC and CT treatments similar (P>0.05) in grinding ability to C. By day 2 of display, CT, CLT and LC patties were redder (a(∗); P<0.05) than C. Sensory panelists found CT patties redder (P<0.05) than C by day 2 of display. Sensory panelists found CT and CLT juicier than C. Therefore, the use of these multiple antimicrobial intervention agents on beef trimmings may improve sensory characteristics and shelf-life of ground beef patties.

A piece of the action: Modulation of sensory-motor regions by action idioms and metaphors

PubMed Central

Desai, Rutvik H.; Conant, Lisa L.; Binder, Jeffrey R.; Park, Haeil; Seidenberg, Mark S.

2013-01-01

The idea that the conceptual system draws on sensory and motor systems has received considerable experimental support in recent years. Whether the tight coupling between sensory-motor and conceptual systems is modulated by factors such as context or task demands is a matter of controversy. Here, we tested the context sensitivity of this coupling by using action verbs in three different types of sentences in an fMRI study: literal action, apt but non-idiomatic action metaphors, and action idioms. Abstract sentences served as a baseline. The result showed involvement of sensory-motor areas for literal and metaphoric action sentences, but not for idiomatic ones. A trend of increasing sensory-motor activation from abstract to idiomatic to metaphoric to literal sentences was seen. These results support a gradual abstraction process whereby the reliance on sensory-motor systems is reduced as the abstractness of meaning as well as conventionalization is increased, highlighting the context sensitive nature of semantic processing. PMID:23891645

Characterizations and Electrical Modelling of Sensory Samples Formed from Synthesized Vanadium (V) Oxide and Copper Oxide Graphene Quantum Tunneling Composites (GQTC) Applied in Electrotribology

PubMed Central

Habdank-Wojewódzki, Tadeusz; Habdank, Josef; Cwik, Przemyslaw; Zimowski, Slawomir

2016-01-01

CuO and V2O5 graphene quantum tunneling composites (GQTC) presented in this article were produced and their sensory properties were analyzed. The composites were synthesised using two stage high-power milling process, which resulted in materials that have good temeprature and pressure sensory properties. Described production process defines internal structure of materials such that when used as sensor in the desired range, it exhibits a strong percolation effect. The experiment, with controlled changing physical conditions during electrotribological measurement, enabled analyzing of the composites’ conductivity as a function of the sensory properties: applied temperature, pressure, tangential force and wear. The sensory characteristic was successfully modelled by invertible generalized equations, and used to create sensor capable of estimating temperature or pressure in the real time. The developed materials have the potential to be applied in the areas where miniaturization is essential, due to the materials exhibiting good sensory properties in mini and micro scale. PMID:26742044

Characterizations and Electrical Modelling of Sensory Samples Formed from Synthesized Vanadium (V) Oxide and Copper Oxide Graphene Quantum Tunneling Composites (GQTC) Applied in Electrotribology.

PubMed

Habdank-Wojewódzki, Tadeusz; Habdank, Josef; Cwik, Przemyslaw; Zimowski, Slawomir

2016-01-05

CuO and V₂O₅ graphene quantum tunneling composites (GQTC) presented in this article were produced and their sensory properties were analyzed. The composites were synthesised using two stage high-power milling process, which resulted in materials that have good temeprature and pressure sensory properties. Described production process defines internal structure of materials such that when used as sensor in the desired range, it exhibits a strong percolation effect. The experiment, with controlled changing physical conditions during electrotribological measurement, enabled analyzing of the composites' conductivity as a function of the sensory properties: applied temperature, pressure, tangential force and wear. The sensory characteristic was successfully modelled by invertible generalized equations, and used to create sensor capable of estimating temperature or pressure in the real time. The developed materials have the potential to be applied in the areas where miniaturization is essential, due to the materials exhibiting good sensory properties in mini and micro scale.

A piece of the action: modulation of sensory-motor regions by action idioms and metaphors.

PubMed

Desai, Rutvik H; Conant, Lisa L; Binder, Jeffrey R; Park, Haeil; Seidenberg, Mark S

2013-12-01

The idea that the conceptual system draws on sensory and motor systems has received considerable experimental support in recent years. Whether the tight coupling between sensory-motor and conceptual systems is modulated by factors such as context or task demands is a matter of controversy. Here, we tested the context sensitivity of this coupling by using action verbs in three different types of sentences in an fMRI study: literal action, apt but non-idiomatic action metaphors, and action idioms. Abstract sentences served as a baseline. The result showed involvement of sensory-motor areas for literal and metaphoric action sentences, but not for idiomatic ones. A trend of increasing sensory-motor activation from abstract to idiomatic to metaphoric to literal sentences was seen. These results support a gradual abstraction process whereby the reliance on sensory-motor systems is reduced as the abstractness of meaning as well as conventionalization is increased, highlighting the context sensitive nature of semantic processing. © 2013.

Convergence of circuit dysfunction in ASD: a common bridge between diverse genetic and environmental risk factors and common clinical electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Port, Russell G.; Gandal, Michael J.; Roberts, Timothy P. L.; Siegel, Steven J.; Carlson, Gregory C.

2014-01-01

Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 68 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Though decades of research have uncovered much about these disorders, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. Hampering efforts is the seeming inability to integrate findings over the micro to macro scales of study, from changes in molecular, synaptic and cellular function to large-scale brain dysfunction impacting sensory, communicative, motor and cognitive activity. In this review, we describe how studies focusing on neuronal circuit function provide unique context for identifying common neurobiological disease mechanisms of ASD. We discuss how recent EEG and MEG studies in subjects with ASD have repeatedly shown alterations in ensemble population recordings (both in simple evoked related potential latencies and specific frequency subcomponents). Because these disease-associated electrophysiological abnormalities have been recapitulated in rodent models, studying circuit differences in these models may provide access to abnormal circuit function found in ASD. We then identify emerging in vivo and ex vivo techniques, focusing on how these assays can characterize circuit level dysfunction and determine if these abnormalities underlie abnormal clinical electrophysiology. Such circuit level study in animal models may help us understand how diverse genetic and environmental risks can produce a common set of EEG, MEG and anatomical abnormalities found in ASD. PMID:25538564

Emerging ciliopathies: are respiratory cilia compromised in Usher syndrome?

PubMed

Piatti, G; De Santi, M M; Brogi, M; Castorina, P; Ambrosetti, U

2014-01-01

Usher syndrome is a ciliopathy involving photoreceptors and cochlear hair cells (sensory cilia): since sensory and motor ciliopathies can overlap, we analysed the respiratory cilia (motile) in 17 patients affected by Usher syndrome and 18 healthy control subject. We studied the mucociliary transport time with the saccharine test, ciliary motility and ultrastructure of respiratory cilia obtained by nasal brushing; we also recorded the classical respiratory function values by spirometry. All enrolled subjects showed normal respiratory function values. The mean mucociliary transport time with saccharine was 22.33 ± 17.96 min, which is in the range of normal values. The mean ciliary beat frequency of all subjects was 8.81 ± 2.18 Hz, which is a value approaching the lower physiological limit. None of the classical ciliary alterations characterizing the "ciliary primary dyskinesia" was detected, although two patients showed alterations in number and arrangement of peripheral microtubules and one patient had abnormal ciliary roots. Respiratory cilia in Usher patients don't seem to have evident ultrastructural alterations, as expected, but the fact that the ciliary motility appeared slightly reduced could emphasize that a rigid distinction between sensory and motor ciliopathies may not reflect what really occurs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A segmental chronic pain syndrome in rats associated with intrathecal infusion of NMDA: evidence for selective action in the dorsal horn.

PubMed

Zochodne, D W; Murray, M; Nag, S; Riopelle, R J

1994-02-01

We explored the effects of chronic lumbar intrathecal NMDA infusion (mini-osmotic pumps) in Sprague-Dawley rats on motor and sensory axon integrity. Several different infusion protocols, each given over a 4 week period were examined: 0.15 M NMDA in phosphate buffered saline; phosphate buffered saline without NMDA; and 0.20 M magnesium sulfate plus 0.15 M NMDA; 0.35 M NMDA. In two additional protocols, 0.15 M NMDA or phosphate buffered saline were infused for a total of 8 weeks. Within 1-2 weeks of the onset of NMDA, but not phosphate buffered saline infusions, the rats exhibited irritability, circling, biting and excessive grooming resulting in loss of hair, and skin ulcerations from autotomy localized to lumbar and sacral innervated dermatomes. Co-infusion of NMDA with magnesium sulfate almost completely prevented these findings. The behavioural changes were not associated with abnormalities of sensory or motor conduction. Intrathecal infusion of NMDA induces a chronic "central" experimental pain disorder in rats, localized to the cord segment with the greatest exposure to the infusion, without involvement of peripheral sensory axons and sparing the axonal integrity of anterior horn cells.

Pathophysiology of pain in postherpetic neuralgia: a clinical and neurophysiological study.

PubMed

Truini, A; Galeotti, F; Haanpaa, M; Zucchi, R; Albanesi, A; Biasiotta, A; Gatti, A; Cruccu, G

2008-12-01

Postherpetic neuralgia is an exceptionally drug-resistant neuropathic pain. To investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying postherpetic neuralgia we clinically investigated sensory disturbances, pains and itching, with an 11-point numerical rating scale in 41 patients with ophthalmic postherpetic neuralgia. In all the patients we recorded the blink reflex, mediated by non-nociceptive myelinated Abeta-fibers, and trigeminal laser evoked potentials (LEPs) related to nociceptive myelinated Adelta- and unmyelinated C-fiber activation. We also sought possible correlations between clinical sensory disturbances and neurophysiological data. Neurophysiological testing yielded significantly abnormal responses on the affected side compared with the normal side (P<0.001). The blink reflex delay correlated with the intensity of paroxysmal pain, whereas the Adelta- and C-LEP amplitude reduction correlated with the intensity of constant pain (P<0.01). Allodynia correlated with none of the neurophysiological data. Our study shows that postherpetic neuralgia impairs all sensory fiber groups. The neurophysiological-clinical correlations suggest that constant pain arises from a marked loss of nociceptive afferents, whereas paroxysmal pain is related to Abeta-fiber demyelination. These findings might be useful for a better understanding of pain mechanisms in postherpetic neuralgia.