Neurophysiologic findings in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Abstract

Context:Cerebral palsy (CP) is a heterogeneous group of permanent, non-progressive motor disorders of movement and posture caused by chronic brain injuries. It is the most common cause of physical disability in childhood; spastic cerebral palsy being the most prevalent of its various forms. There is scanty information about the neurophysiologic investigations in children diagnosed as having spastic CP.Aims:The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between abnormal VEP and BAEP findings with different clinical parameters in children with spastic cerebral palsy.Materials and Methods:Fifteen children with spastic CP in the age range 4 months to 10 years participated in this study. Evaluation of VEPs, brainstem evoked potentials (BAEPs) were performed in all study patients as well as 35 healthy children as controls. The study was conducted after obtaining ethics committee approval and informed consent of parents.Statistical Analysis Used:Significance of difference in the mean values of different parameters in different groups was assessed by Student’s “t” test and the P value <0.05 was considered to be significant. All the values were expressed as mean ± 1 Std. Deviation.Results:A significant difference was found in the VEP latencies and amplitude between the subjects with CP and controls. Striking BAEP abnormalities in CP patients include prolongation of absolute latency of wave V, interpeak latencies of III-V and lowered I-V ratio. Abnormal VEPs and BAEPs in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy demonstrated a correlation with the presence of moderate to severe developmental delay.Conclusions:The differences in VEPs and BAEPs were determined between CP children and healthy children. The abnormalities found are probably linked to the neurological deficits present in cases of cerebral palsy.

The responsiveness of TrkB to exogenous BDNF in frontal cortex during antibiotic treatment of Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis

“…The interpeak latency of waves III-V of brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) reflects activities of the brainstem auditory pathway and the influence of activities of structures surrounding the pathway. It is said that BAEP are reliable in predicting the outcome of patients with severe brain damage [19,20]. Our studies found that there were no responses of BAEP or the interpeak latency of waves III- Fig.…”

Effect of Postural Balance Training on Gait Parameters in Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…1 It is well known that brain damage is associated with lack of coordination of voluntary muscles, restricted balance performance, gait deviations, and poor postural control of movement. Postural control is fundamental for the efficient performance of all activities of daily living.…”

Characteristics of short-patent auditory evoked potentials in children with cerebral palsy

“…При оценке АСВП у 80 детей в возрасте 3-12 лет в ряде случаев регистрировалось выпадение отдельных пиков, удлинение межпиковой латентности N 1 -N 5 и редукция высоты N 5 пика у детей с тяжелой асфиксией в анамнезе, что в совокупности отражает дизафферентацию преимущественно за счет межъядерной десинхронизации на уровне ствола головного мозга при сохранной миелинизации проводникового отдела анализатора у большинства пациентов с ЦП [17]. В то же время анализ параметров АСВП у 50 детей в возрасте от 4 мес до 10 лет выявил сочетанное статистически значимое увеличение как латентности основных пиков, так и межпиковых латентностей по сравнению с показателями контрольной группы, что говорит о смешанном патогенезе нарушения акустической афферентации [18].…”