Evoked potentials in multiple system atrophy (MSA).
OBJECTIVE
To study the involvement of pyramidal tracts and sensory pathways in multiple system atrophy (MSA).


METHODS
Evoked potential studies were performed in 45 MSA patients suffering from either MSA of cerebellar type (MSA-C) or MSA of parkinsonian type (MSA-P).


RESULTS
Motor evoked potentials were normal in all MSA patients, whereas visual and somatosensory evoked potential abnormalities were found in about 40% of the MSA patients with no significant difference between the cerebellar (MSA-C) and parkinsonian (MSA-P) subgroup. Abnormal latencies of wave III in brainstem auditory evoked potentials were significantly more frequent in MSA-C.


CONCLUSIONS
Abnormalities of somatosensory, visual and auditory evoked potentials are frequent findings in MSA, whereas abnormal motor evoked potentials are not a characteristic feature of the disease.
Abele
M
M
Department of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Schulz
J B
JB
Bürk
K
K
Topka
H
H
Dichgans
J
J
Klockgether
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009431:Neural Conduction; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology