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Results for “sensory function”

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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Diagnosis and Management of Orthopedic Problems in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a term applied to a variety of clinical syndromes that have as a common feature the abnormal control of motor function by the brain, resulting in disorders of movement and posturing. Sensory function is often affected as well. Cerebral palsy afflicts the immature brain (under 2 years of age) and usually produces neuropathologic changes that do not progress with increasing age. Because myelination of the brain is a progressive process that begins late in the third trimester and continues into adolescence in a well defined pattern, only after the neuronal pathways from brain lesions have become myelinated and the pattern of abnormality determined, can the brain lesions forming the basis of cerebral palsy be detected.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Reported and measured physical functioning in older inner-city diabetic African Americans.

BACKGROUND: The impact of diabetes on disability and physical functioning in older African Americans and potential causes of the excessive disability associated with diabetes in other studies have been inadequately investigated. METHODS: A population-based survey was performed comparing 116 self-reported diabetic inner-city African Americans aged 70 years and older to 522 nondiabetic persons from the same population. A subsample (n = 168) received a physical examination focused on body habitus, upper and lower body strength, balance, and timed physical performance tasks. Blood tests were obtained from 173 subjects. RESULTS: Diabetic individuals reported worse general health (p = .01), instrumental activities of daily living (p = .02), and modified versions of the Rosow-Breslau scale (p<.001) and the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (p = .002). Diabetic persons also reported more falls (0.59 per person vs. 0.20, p = .019) and injurious falls (12% vs. 6%, p = .025). There were minimal differences in the strength, balance, and timed performance measures (analyzed separately by gender). In multivariable analyses, impairments in visual function and pain and light touch perception appeared to explain some of the association between diabetic status and poor general health, disability, and falls, with lesser contribution from the number of medical problems, number of medications, and glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS: Older inner-city diabetic blacks demonstrated worse general health, excess disability, and more falls compared to controls, although deficits in strength, balance, and timed performance could not be demonstrated. The cause of decreased functional status in diabetic elders deserves additional investigation, focusing especially on sensory function, glycemic control, and contribution from specific medical problems and medications.

Accidental Falls↗

PubMed2003

Articulating external fixation to overcome nerve gaps in lower extremity trauma.

This report describes the use of articulating external fixation in patients with lower extremity trauma with segmental nerve defects. Four patients who would otherwise require nerve grafting underwent application of an articulated external fixator, allowing optimal positioning for end-to-end, tension-free nerve repair followed by gradual lengthening. After three weeks of immobilization, the fixator was gradually advanced through the arc of the hinge. At an average follow-up of 44 months, motor function testing revealed gastroc-soleus function in all cases with a median motor grade of M4. Sensory function testing with Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments demonstrated protective plantar sensation in all cases with a median monofilament size of 3.84 on the injured limb compared with 3.22 on the contralateral side. This series of patients demonstrates that joint positioning through external fixation may be used safely and effectively to facilitate primary neurorrhaphy and subsequent limb salvage.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Noxious somatic inputs to hypothalamic-midbrain projection neurones: a comparison of the columnar organisation of somatic and visceral inputs to the periaqueductal grey in the rat.

The induction of Fos protein was used to localise hypothalamic neurones activated by noxious somatic stimulation. This was combined with retrograde transport of fluorescent latex microspheres from identified 'pressor' and 'depressor' sites in the dorsolateral/lateral or ventrolateral columns of the periaqueductal grey (PAG). Fos-positive neurones were found throughout the rostral hypothalamus. Of those neurones activated by noxious somatic stimuli that projected to the PAG all but one was retrogradely labelled from sites that included the lateral column. Only one neurone was double labelled following injection of tracer at a depressor site in the ventrolateral PAG. This is in marked contrast to visceroresponsive hypothalamic neurones, a larger proportion of which project to the PAG and which, as reported previously, preferentially target depressor sites in the ventrolateral sector. These results are discussed in relation to the roles of the anterior hypothalamus and the different functional columns of the PAG in co-ordinating autonomic and sensory functions in response to nociceptive inputs originating in different peripheral domains.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Temperature sensitivity of neurones in slices of the rat spinal cord.

1. The inherent temperature sensitivity of 343 spontaneously active neurones recorded from rat spinal cord (SC) slices was investigated electrophysiologically. Recordings were made from 321 neurons from transverse and 22 neurons from longitudinal slices and their thermosensitivity was determined by relating changes in firing rate to changes in slice temperature. 2. Of the neurones from transverse slices, 53% were warm sensitive, 2% were cold sensitive and 45% were temperature insensitive. In longitudinal slices, 68% were warm sensitive and the remaining neurones were temperature insensitive. 3. When classified according to their recording sites in transverse slices, warm-sensitive neurones in laminae I and II had the same mean temperature coefficient compared with those recorded from lamina X, despite the fact that the latter had a significantly higher spontaneous activity. 4. The intrinsic temperature sensitivity of the majority of warm-sensitive neurones was confirmed by blocking their synaptic input. 5. A transient overshoot in activity, i.e. a dynamic response characteristic following rapid temperature stimuli (0.4 degree C s-1) was observed in 73% of the warm-sensitive and 59% of the temperature-insensitive neurones in laminae I and II in response to rapid warming, but only rarely (< 10%) in lamina X. 6. Temperature-sensitive SC neurones share response characteristics with temperature-sensitive neurones in the preoptic and anterior hypothalamic (PO/AH) area and with peripheral temperature receptors. Functionally, these neurones may represent the cellular basis for the temperature sensory function of the spinal cord that has been well characterized in vivo in homeothermic species.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

[V-Y advancement of volar skin flap in the repair of fingertip defect and cicatricial contracture].

The traditional Kutler and Atasoy V-Y advancement flaps have minimal range of advancement, so it is not satisfactory to repair large skin defect in fingers, hence limited indications. The sensory function of the repaired fingers is impaired because of injury to sensory nerves and scar formation. Since 1985 to 1991, the V-Y advancement flap with bilateral digital arteries and nerves as the pedicle has been used for the reconstruction of 33 fingertip defects and 5 digital volar cicatricial contracture. Satisfactory results were obtained in all these cases. In this paper, the anatomical characteristics and principles of device were recommended, the advantages and key points to success were discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Immunohistochemical studies of the neurochemical markers, CGRP, enkephalin, galanin, gamma-MSH, NPY, PHI, proctolin, PTH, somatostatin, SP, VIP, tyrosine hydroxylase and neurofilament in nerves and cells of the human attached gingiva.

Punch biopsies were obtained from the buccal gingiva of the lower third molars. Thin nerve fibres, immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or substance P (SP), with possible sensory function, were found in the propria often close to the epithelium, sometimes even penetrating into the basal layers. gamma-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (gamma-MSH)-like immunoreactivity was found in sparsely distributed single cells (except in one specimen containing a dense infiltration), resembling neutrophilic granulocytes of the propria. gamma-MSH was present in several single smooth axons and in thick axon bundles of the propria. Surrounding the blood vessels, neuropeptide Y (NPY), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and peptide histidine isoleucine amide (PHI) immunoreactive nerve fibres were observed. NPY and TH-positive fibres probably represent sympathetic nerve terminals and VIP/PHI-immunoreactive ones may have a parasympathetic function. Papillae of the propria contained VIP-positive fibres not obviously related to blood vessels. The distribution in papillae of PHI-like immunoreactivity was similar but the PHI-positive reaction was also present in a few cells of the propria, especially near blood vessels. Somatostatin (SOM)-positive reaction occurred in a few dendritic-type cells near or in the epithelium and single nerve fibres close to the epithelium. Several thick axon bundles of the propria contained neurofilament (NF)-immunoreactive material. Some thin NF-fibres were found in the papillae and some seemed to penetrate into the epithelium. No galanin, methionine-enkephalin, parathyroid hormone or proctolin immunoreactive material was found. The rather rich content of several neuropeptides in human attached gingiva, as well as other neurochemical markers, is probably associated with sensory and autonomic functions.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Gait and balance in the elderly. Two functional capacities that link sensory and motor ability to falls.

Neuromuscular function, which underlies efficient gait and balance, deteriorates with age and disease. A review of the literature and of data from the current study suggests the presence of poor gait and balance in elderly individuals who have a history of multiple falls. The tests of gait and balance are simple to perform and therefore may be widely applicable in evaluating individuals at risk of falls. Quantitative studies of motor and sensory function, vibratory sensation, and electrophysiologic studies of nerve integrity are discussed. Deteriorating motor and sensory control mechanisms appear to play an important role in falling.

Accidents↗

PubMed1998

Contribution of type 1 reactions to sensory and motor function loss in borderline leprosy patients and the efficacy of treatment with prednisone.

The changes in nerve function tests in 297 new leprosy patients over an average period of 30 months were measured. The impact of type 1 reactions (T1R) on sensory and voluntary muscle function was measured by standard tests. Sensory function was improved in patients with single episodes of cutaneous T1R, but not improved in patients with neural T1R or with multiple episodes of either kind of T1R. Patients over 40 years of age improved less than younger patients, and patients admitted for treatment of T1R improved more than those treated as outpatients. These data point to a need to find better regimens for the treatment of nerve damage in T1R.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

New directions in the assessment of gastric function: clinical applications of physiologic measurements.

A variety of methods exist to assess gastric motor and sensory function. Specific techniques allow for the measurement of emptying, contractility, accommodation and sensation. Several of these techniques are suitable for in-office use rather than in a hospital or gastroenterology laboratory. While gastric function tests continue to proliferate and become more clinically accessible, their relevance to specific digestive symptoms or syndromes remains poorly studied. Additionally, the ability of gastric function testing to guide therapy or predict responses to interventions also remains poorly studied. Gastric function testing should be employed cautiously in clinical practice with an awareness that test results represent observations rather than diagnosis.

Breath Tests↗

PubMed1997

Neurologic deficit and recovery in the donor limb following cross-C7 transfer in brachial-plexus injury.

Two adult patients with post-traumatic complete brachial plexus injury were treated with cross-C7 nerve-root transfer from the contralateral side. A detailed documentation of the motor and sensory functional status of the donor upper limb was carried out before and after division of the C7 nerve root. Gross motor deficits were observed immediately after surgery in shoulder extension and adduction, elbow extension, forearm pronation, wrist flexion, and hand movement. Sensory deficit involving the hand was maximal immediately after division of the C7 root. Functional recovery was rapid starting within 10 days following the root division. In both patients, the motor and sensory deficits were temporary. Full functional recovery was documented at 6 months. However, objective qualitative and quantitative differences in the motor and sensory deficits in the donor limbs were still present by 1.5 to 2 years, although these did not affect the functional status of the donor limbs. The presence of multiple segmental root innervation of the muscles and skin, other than the C7 root in the upper limb, provides for a compensatory mechanism that allows for this rapid and full functional recovery following the single nerve-root loss. The absence of any long-term functional deficit makes cross C7 transfer a viable option in the surgical management of complete unilateral brachial-plexus injury.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Detection of multiple stimulus features forces a trade-off in the pyramidal cell network of a gymnotiform electric fish's electrosensory lateral line lobe.

Modification of an existing neural structure to support a second function will produce a trade-off between the two functions if they are in some way incompatible. The trade-off between two such sensory functions is modeled here in pyramidal neurons of the gymnotiform electric fish's medullar electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL). These neurons detect two electric stimulus features produced when a nearby object interferes with the fish's autogenous electric field: (1) amplitude modulation across a cell's entire receptive field and (2) amplitude variation within a cell's receptive field produced by an object's edge. A model of sensory integration shows that detection of amplitude modulation and enhancement of spatial contrast involve an inherent mechanistic trade-off and that the severity of the trade-off depends on the particular algorithm of sensory integration. Electrophysiology data indicate that of the two algorithms for sensory integration modeled here for the gymnotiform fish Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus, the algorithm with the better trade-off function is used. Further, the intrinsic trade-off within single cells has been surmounted by the replication of ELL into multiple electrosensory map segments, each specialized to emphasize different sensory features.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Sensory regeneration following intraoperatively verified trigeminal nerve injury.

OBJECTIVE: To follow recovery of sensory function mediated by both myelinated and unmyelinated axons in relation to the type of inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury. METHODS: The authors assessed the function of afferent Abeta-, Adelta-, and C-fibers of the IAN using neurophysiologic (mental nerve blink reflex, sensory nerve conduction [NCS] of the IAN) and quantitative sensory tests (QST; cold, warm, heat pain, and tactile modalities). The tests were done 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively and compared to the preoperative baseline in 20 patients undergoing mandibular bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. Nineteen patients underwent intraoperative monitoring. RESULTS: In primarily demyelinating injuries (21/40 nerves), the sensory alteration and all tests normalized on the group level within the first 3 months. After partial axonal lesions (15/40 nerves), neurophysiologic and thermal QST results remained abnormal at 1-year control in a high proportion of the IAN distributions (up to 67%). At 1 year, the tactile QST was abnormal in 40%, but the NCS in 87% of the symptomatic IAN distributions. Neuropathic pain occurred in 5% of the patients, only after severe axonal damage. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory nerve conduction and thermal quantitative sensory testing showed incomplete sensory regeneration at 1 year after axonal trigeminal nerve damage. Clinical examination with tactile quantitative sensory testing was less reliable in the follow-up of sensory recovery. Sensory Abeta-, Adelta-, and C-fibers recovered function at similar rates. The trigeminal nerve does not differ from other peripheral nerves as regards susceptibility to neuropathic pain.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2001

Proprioception and isometric muscular strength in haemophilic subjects.

Haemophilia is characterized by intra-articular bleeding, often requiring immobilization, which may result in muscle atrophy and impaired proprioception. The aim of the study was to investigate differences in proprioceptive performance and isometric muscular strength of the lower limbs in haemophilic subjects compared with control subjects. Twelve subjects with severe haemophilia (11 haemophilia A; one haemophilia B) vs. 12 control subjects were matched for anthropometric data and tested for differences of proprioception (one-leg-stand, posturomed, angle-reproduction, and tuning fork tests) and isometric strength (leg press, knee extensor). The static proprioceptive performance of the haemophilic group, as measured by the one-leg-stand test (on hard or soft ground, with open or closed eyes; P < 0.05) was demonstrably impaired (by 41-363%). In contrast, the dynamic proprioceptive performance measured by the posturomed test did not show any difference between the groups. The local proprioceptive performance (angle-reproduction test) of the knee, (the most commonly affected joint in haemophiliacs) showed a trend to impaired function but was not distinctly different from that of controls. The quantitative sensory function (tuning fork) showed significant (P < 0.05) impairment of 9-10% in the haemophilic subjects. Additionally, the isometric muscular strength of the leg extensor was weaker (32-38%) in the haemophilic group when the limbs were tested individually as well as bilaterally (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that global proprioceptive performance is impaired and that the isometric strength of the leg extensors is weaker in the haemophilic subjects. Therefore, specialized training for global proprioception would be helpful in order to compensate for proprioceptive deficits. This exercise regimen should also include safe strength-training for an optimal stabilization of the joints, but must be adapted to the individual needs and situations of the haemophilic subjects.p

Hemophilia A↗

PubMed1982

The integrative sensorimotor function of the LP-pulvinar complex.

An important number of studies have paid attention to the sensorial function of the LP-pulvinar complex and its probable polisensorial integrative role. In the present review, on the basis of some experimental results, we have tried to emphasize the importance of the LP-pulvinar complex in the motor function. In this sense, this thalamic complex appears as a probable sensorimotor integrative structure. Considering the behavior elicited by electrical as well as chemical stimulation of the LP-pulvinar complex, it would seem that this structure is related to the type of behavior that researches and examines the environment, mainly, by internal motivation. Furthermore, the possible role of the LP-pulvinar complex in the sleep and wakefulness mechanism and in the epileptic phenomena, is mentioned.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

The histological structure of dog knee menisci with comments on its possible significance.

Knee-joint menisci are poorly understood terminologically, structurally and functionally in spite of their almost universal occurrence in mammals and their considerable clinical significance in man. A study was therefore undertaken of dog knee menisci utilizing several histological techniques. Terminologically, it is proposed that the part of the meniscus extending between the anterior and posterior horns and exclusive of them be called the meniscal "body." Structurally, the horns and body differ in anumber of ways. The horns are oval in cross section, the body triangular. Hyalinized areas are much more frequent in the body than in the horns. The collagen of the horns is organized into discrete bundles that are separated from one another by loose connective tissue septa, while that of the body is arranged in a "herringbone" pattern; no septa are present in the body. Finally, the meniscal horns are richly supplied with blood vessels are nerves (including large myelinated fibers which apparently terminate in the horns) while the body is almost completely devoid of blood vessels and nerves. Functionally, it is hypothesized that knee-joint menisci may serve important sensory functions.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Transplantation of autologous dorsal root ganglia into the peroneal nerve of adult rats: uni- and bidirectional axonal regrowth from the grafted DRG neurons.

Previous studies have demonstrated that transplanted dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs) can survive and differentiate in a variety of orthotopic and heterotopic locations. In order to develop strategies aimed at restoring the sensory function following traumatic injury to the spinal cord and to its peripheral sensory connections, we have transplanted adult autologous dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) into the peroneal nerve of adult rats. Twelve female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. A segment of the peroneal nerve was isolated by double transection and ligature to prevent undesirable reinnervation. The left fifth cervical (C5) DRG was removed from its normal location and inserted into the midportion of the isolated nerve segment. One month after the grafting procedure, a morphological study included axonal retrograde labeling with True Blue (TB) and/or Diamidino Yellow (DY) applied on each cut end of the nerve segment, cell counting, and cell measurement after staining with cresyl violet. Compared to the C5 ganglion maintained in situ, the mean number of surviving DRGNs in the transplant was 1381, corresponding to a survival rate of 20%. Both singly (TB or DY) and doubly (TB + DY) stained DRGNs were encountered. The proportion of surviving neurons that appeared to be doubly labeled was 23%. These neurons were considered as having grown two opposite axonal projections, one into the "central" part of the nerve segment and a second one into its "peripheral" part. The present results give new insights and interesting prospects concerning the possibilities of reconstructing the sensory circuitry after central and/or peripheral injuries.

Amidines↗

PubMed2004

Mechanosensitive channels: multiplicity of families and gating paradigms.

Mechanosensitive ion channels are the primary transducers that convert mechanical force into an electrical or chemical signal in hearing, touch, and other mechanical senses. Unlike vision, olfaction, and some types of taste, which all use similar kinds of primary heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein-coupled receptors, mechanosensation relies on diverse types of transducer molecules. Unrelated types of channels can be used for the perception of various mechanical stimuli, not only in distant groups of organisms, but also in separate locations of the same organism. The extreme sensitivity of the transduction mechanism in the auditory system, which relies on an elaborate structure of rigid cilia, filamentous links, and molecular motors to focus force on transduction channels, contrasts with that of the bacterial channel MscL, which is opened by high lateral tension in the membrane and fulfills a safety-valve rather than a sensory function. The spatial scales of conformational movement and force in these two systems are described, and are shown to be consistent with a general physical description of mechanical channel gating. We outline the characteristics of several types of mechanosensitive channels and the functional contexts in which they participate in signaling and cellular regulation in sensory and nonsensory cells.

Animals↗