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Suppressed sympathetic skin response in brain infarction
J T Korpelainen1, U Tolonen, K A Sotaniemi
1Department of Neurology, University of Oulu, Finland.
Stroke
|September 1, 1993
Summary
Stroke patients exhibit significant sympathetic nervous system dysfunction, specifically impaired sympathetic skin responses, indicating widespread autonomic failure. This study quantifies this dysfunction in brain infarction, revealing suppressed reflex activity.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Autonomic Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Autonomic failure is a common stroke complication, yet sudomotor dysregulation remains understudied in cerebrovascular diseases.
- Sympathetic nervous system dysfunction, particularly sudomotor deficits, requires quantitative assessment in brain infarction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess sympathetic reflex activity in patients with brain infarction.
- To measure sympathetic skin response (SSR) to evaluate autonomic dysfunction post-stroke.
Main Methods:
- Recorded SSR to electrical and auditory stimuli on both hands in 58 brain infarction patients and 36 controls.
- Compared SSR amplitudes and latencies between patient groups (hemispheral and brain stem infarction) and healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Significantly decreased SSR amplitudes and prolonged latencies were observed in both hemispheral and brain stem infarctions compared to controls.
- SSR amplitude reduction occurred in both acute and late infarction phases, while latency prolongation was specific to the acute phase.
Conclusions:
- Brain infarction leads to more extensive sympathetic dysfunction than previously recognized.
- Impaired SSR in brain infarction patients demonstrates suppressed sympathetic nervous system reflex activity.