Changes in brain function after manipulation of the cervical spine.
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain whether manipulation of the cervical spine is associated with changes in brain function.


METHODS
Physiological cortical maps were used as an integer of brain activity before and after manipulation of the cervical spine in a large (500 subjects), double-blind controlled study.


METHODS
Institutional clinic Participants: Adult volunteers.


METHODS
Five hundred subjects were divided into six comparative groups and underwent specific manipulation of the second cervical motion segment. Blinded examiners obtained reproducible pre- and postmanipulative cortical maps, which were subjected to statistical analysis.


METHODS
Brain activity was demonstrated by reproducible circumferential measurements of cortical hemispheric blind-spot maps before and after manipulation of the second cervical motion segment. Twelve null hypotheses were developed. The critical alpha level was adjusted in accordance with Bonferroni's theorem to .004 (.05 divided by 12) to reduce the likelihood of wrongly rejecting the null hypothesis (i.e., committing a Type I error).


RESULTS
Manipulation of the cervical spine on the side of an enlarged cortical map is associated with increased contralateral cortical activity with strong statistical significance (p < .001). Manipulation of the cervical spine on the side opposite an enlarged cortical map is associated with decreased cortical activity with strong statistical significance (p < .001). Manipulation of the cervical spine was specific for changes in only one cortical hemisphere with strong statistical significance (p < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Accurate reproducible maps of cortical responses can be used to measure the neurological consequences of spinal joint manipulation. Cervical manipulation activates specific neurological pathways. Manipulation of the cervical spine may be associated with an increase or a decrease in brain function depending upon the side of the manipulation and the cortical hemisphericity of a patient.
Carrick
F R
FR
Division of Post-Doctoral Education, Logan College of Chiropractic, Chesterfield, MO, USA.
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D002684:Chiropractic; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000502:physiology; D058609:Visual Field Tests