title: Spinal myoclonus with giant somatosensory evoked potentials and enhanced long-loop reflex: a case report.
abstract: We describe a patient with an ischaemic lesion of the cervical spinal cord who presented with clinical evidence of stimulus-sensitive, multisegmental myoclonic jerks restricted to the truncal and proximal limb muscles and accompanied by electrophysiological features (giant somatosensory evoked potentials and enhanced long-loop reflex) of cortical myoclonus. We hypothesize that these features might result from a loss of inhibitory influences on the sensory input to cortical structures: a concomitant contribution of spinal and cortical hyperexcitability seems to have played a crucial role in inducing myoclonus in our patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Otolaryngology, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. jackmarian@mclink.it
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serrao
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cardinali
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perrotta
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartolo
authors.forename: Leoluca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D009207:Myoclonus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012018:Reflex; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam