title: [Present status and future development of neurophysiological examination in laboratory medicine].
abstract: In 2011, nine brain and six nerve and muscle physiological examinations were covered by the national health insurance in Japan. The greatest recent change was the digitalization of electroencephalography in the neurophysiological laboratory. This change is good for hospital affairs both economically and ecologically. Board certified doctors or technologists by the Academic Society in Neurophysiology are increasing each year and are improving the clinical level in daily laboratory work. One problem is that the level of neurophysiological laboratory examinations differs among hospitals in Japan, but they are showing a gradual improvement. Future development is promising in this field. Technological progress in neurophysiological functions is remarkable, including magnetic methods. Magnetoencephalography has powerful spatiotemporal resolution and can analyze higher brain function such as language, memory, calculation and so on. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is also available for laboratory examination of the nervous system, including motor and higher brain functions. In this symposium we showed cerebellar-related motor potentials in the soleus muscle by transcranial magnetic stimulation of the posterior fossa. This report summarizes the present status and future development of the neurological field in physiological laboratory examinations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan. yorifuji@sahs.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yorifuji
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Asako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hisato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugata
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Sachiyo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004453:Echoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods