title: Central and peripheral motor drive to the palatal muscles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the motor command of the soft palate muscles using a magnetic stimulation technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded in 10 right-handed and 5 left-handed subjects at the midline of the palate or on the right or left hemipalate to peripheral and cortical magnetic stimulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean palatal MEP amplitude ranged from 0.06 to 0.26mV to peripheral stimulation and from 0.36 to 1.09mV to cortical stimulation. In hemipalate recordings, MEPs to peripheral stimulation had greater amplitude when recorded ipsilaterally to the stimulation side, whereas MEPs to cortical stimulation were symmetrical. In midline recordings, right-handed subjects showed greater palatal MEP amplitude to right (rather than left) peripheral stimulation and to left (rather than right) cortical stimulation. Mean palatal MEP latency ranged from 4.0 to 4.1ms to peripheral stimulation and from 9.0 to 10.2ms to cortical stimulation; mean central conduction time ranged from 4.9 to 6.2ms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Palatal MEPs were easily and reliably obtained, including selective responses in each hemipalate. A bilateral cortical command of the palate is supported by our results, with a possible predominant motor drive from the left hemisphere in right-handed subjects.
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France; Service de Physiologie, Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 51, avenue de Lattre-de-Tassigny, 94010 Créteil, France; Neurology division, UMCRH, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Rechdi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahdab
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France; Service de Neurologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Wassim H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Farhat
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Moussa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chalah
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France; Service de Neurologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kerschen
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France; Service de Physiologie, Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 51, avenue de Lattre-de-Tassigny, 94010 Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Pascal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lefaucheur
authors.affiliation: EA 4391, Excitabilité Nerveuse et Thérapeutique, Université Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France; Service de Physiologie, Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 51, avenue de Lattre-de-Tassigny, 94010 Créteil, France; Neurology division, UMCRH, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: samarayache@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Samar S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ayache
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D010156:Palatal Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cortex moteur; Déglutition; Face; Motor cortex; Palais; Palate; Stimulation magnétique transcrânienne; Swallowing; Transcranial magnetic stimulation