Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2019, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (6): 1025-1028.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.250581

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Ipsilateral motor evoked potentials in a patient with unihemispheric cortical atrophy due to Rasmussen encephalitis

Raffaele Nardone 1, 2, 3, 4 , Patrick B. Langthaler 2, 5 , Andrea Orioli 1 , Viviana Versace 6, 7 , Giuditta Ilaria Scarano 8 , Francesco Brigo 1, 9 , Leopold Saltuari 6, 7, 10 , Luca Carnicelli 1 , Eugen Trinka 2, 11, 12 , Luca Sebastianelli 6, 7   

  1. 1 Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
    2 Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
    3 Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Salzburg, Austria
    4 Karl Landsteiner Institut für Neurorehabilitation und Raumfahrtneurologie, Salzburg, Austria
    5 Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
    6 Department of Neurorehabilitation, Hospital of Vipiteno, Vipiteno, Italy
    7 Research Unit for Neurorehabilitation South Tyrol, Bolzano, Italy
    8 Department of Psychology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
    9 Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
    10 Department of Neurology, Hochzirl Hospital, Zirl, Austria
    11 Centre for Cognitive Neurosciences Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
    12 University for Medical Informatics and Health Technology, UMIT, Hall in Tirol, Austria
  • Online:2019-06-15 Published:2019-06-15
  • Contact: Raffaele Nardone, MD, PhD, raffaele.nardone@asbmeran-o.it.

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Abstract:

The role of the ipsilaterally descending motor pathways in the recovery mechanisms after unilateral hemispheric damage is still poorly understood. Motor output reorganization was investigated in a 56-year-old male patient with acquired unilateral hemispheric atrophy due to Rasmussen encephalitis. In particular, the ipsilateral corticospinal pathways were explored using focal transcranial magnetic stimulation. In the first dorsal interosseous and wrist extensors muscles, the median amplitudes of the ipsilateral motor evoked potentials induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation in the patient were higher than those of 10 age-matched healthy control subjects. In the biceps brachii muscle, the median amplitudes of the ipsilateral motor evoked potentials were the second largest in the patient compared to the controls. This study demonstrated a reinforcement of ipsilateral motor projections from the unaffected motor cortex to the hemiparetic hand in a subject with acquired unihemispheric cortical damage.

Key words: transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor cortex, ipsilateral motor evoked potentials, ipsilateral motor pathways, Rasmussen encephalitis, cortical atrophy, hemispheric damage