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[Neurophysiological evaluation of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2]
1Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Clínica, Hospital Docente Provincial Vladimir Ilich Lenin, Holguín, Cuba.
Introduction:
Type 2 spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA2) is the condition most often described (to date) in patients with hereditary ataxia, its prevalence being 52 per 100,000 persons.
Objective:
In patients with SCA2 neurogenic patterns are identified by means of electrophysiological techniques.
Patients And Methods:
A transverse study was made of 70 persons with SCA2 of different periods of duration and from different regions of the country. The control group was made up of 108 volunteers. Electrophysiological recordings made were: conventional and quantitative electromyography, late F wave and H reflex responses. Multivariate methods with a confidence interval of 95% (alpha = 0.05) were used for statistical analysis.
Results:
Conventional electromyography showed a pattern of isolated contractions, predominantly in patients who had had the disorder < or = 5 years, classified as Grade I by the authors; in those with a history of > 5 years there was a pattern of very isolated contractions with motor potentials of amplitudes > 10 microV, without denervation, classified as Grade II. The patients with worse clinical condition were concentrated in this latter group. Significant differences were observed between Groups I, II and control and also regarding the late responses of the F wave and H reflex.
Conclusions:
For the first time two types of neurogenic patterns of SCA2 have been established to describe alterations which denote participation of the first and second motor neurones.