Neurophysiological assessment of central sensory perception among children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy
Sangeeta Gupta1, Anchala Bhardwaj2, Gaurav Gupta3
1Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Insights
Central perceptual abnormalities are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) show significant sensory cortex involvement, suggesting potential as a prognostic tool for CP.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Disorders
Background:
- Somatosensory deficits are increasingly recognized in cerebral palsy (CP).
- Evaluating central perceptual abnormalities is crucial for understanding CP's impact on children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess central perceptual abnormalities in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).
- To investigate the association between evoked potentials (SSEP, VEP, BAEP), EEG, and clinical/radiologic findings in CP.
Main Methods:
- Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were used.
- Electroencephalography (EEG), clinical data, and brain MRI findings were analyzed.
- Seventy children (35 with CP, 35 controls, aged 6 months-10 years) participated.
Main Results:
- Abnormal cortical responses were found in 77.14% (tibial SSEPs) and 65.22% (median SSEPs).
- Abnormalities were also noted in VEP (51.4%), BAEP (14.29%), and EEG (40%).
- Abnormal tibial SSEPs correlated with abnormal EEG and perinatal asphyxia; abnormal median SSEPs correlated with abnormal VEP and perinatal asphyxia.
Conclusions:
- Significant sensory cortex involvement is evident in children with CP.
- Cortical SSEPs may serve as a valuable prognostic tool in managing children with CP.
- Understanding sensory processing in CP aids in developing targeted treatment strategies.
Abstract:
Somatosensory deficits have gained growing attention in cerebral palsy; therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the central perceptual abnormalities in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Seventy children (35 children with CP and 35 controls, age-range: 6 months-10 years) were evaluated by somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), visual evoked potentials (VEP) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and the association with electroencephalography (EEG), clinical and radiologic findings was sought for. Tibial SSEPs and median SSEPs revealed abnormal cortical response in 77.14 % (27 of 35) and 65.22 % (15 of 23) respectively, 14.29 % (5 of 35) had abnormal BAEP, 18 of 35 (51.4 %) had abnormal VEP, 14 patients (40 %) demonstrated abnormal EEG and 91.43 % had abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Abnormal tibial SSEPs were statistically correlated with abnormal EEG (p=0.005) and perinatal asphyxia (p=0.01) while abnormal median SSEPs were statistically correlated with abnormal VEP (p=0.0098) and perinatal asphyxia (p=0.03) (chi-square test). Evidences of sensory cortical involvement in CP can help in designing better treatment plans. Cortical SSEPs may further be evaluated in prospective studies to assess their potential utility as a prognostic tool in children with CP.
More Related Videos
08:26Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Published on: January 11, 2016
09:38Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Related Concept Videos
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
01:11Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...