PMID- 20715381 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20100916 LR - 20191111 IS - 1567-424X (Print) IS - 1567-424X (Linking) VI - 60 DP - 2009 TI - Reduction in the motor unit number estimate (MUNE) after cerebral infarction. PG - 189-95 AB - We examined the relationship between the degree to which motor unit number estimates (MUNEs) decrease in association with the clinical features of patients with the infarction. Using a multiple-point stimulation technique, we obtained the MUNE of the hypothenar muscle group in 13 age-matched control subjects and 30 patients with cerebral infarction. In all patients, we obtained the Japan Stroke Scale (JSS) and head MR images. In 8 patients with acute cerebral infarction, admitted within 24 h after onset, we also obtained head MR angiograms and single-photon emission CT. There was a decrease in the MUNE of the hypothenar muscle group on the affected side of 24 patients with cerebral infarction and hand weakness. The decrease in the MUNE started from 4 to 30 h after the infarction, when T1-weighted MR images of the brain involved were normal. The degree to which the MUNE decreased correlated with the part of the JSS showing the upper extremity weakness. A decrease in the MUNE of the hypothenar muscle group within 30 h after cerebral infarction may be due to transsynaptic inhibition of the spinal alpha motor neurons innervating this muscle. FAU - Arasaki, Keisuke AU - Arasaki K AD - Stroke Care Unit, Department of Neurology, NTT East Kanto Medical Center, Tokyo 141-0022, Japan. arasaki@aikawanaika.or.jp FAU - Igarashi, Osamu AU - Igarashi O FAU - Machida, Toru AU - Machida T FAU - Hyodo, Akira AU - Hyodo A FAU - Ushijima, Ryosuke AU - Ushijima R LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PL - Netherlands TA - Suppl Clin Neurophysiol JT - Supplements to Clinical neurophysiology JID - 100967410 SB - IM MH - Action Potentials/*physiology MH - Aged MH - Aged, 80 and over MH - Cerebral Infarction/*pathology/*physiopathology MH - Electric Stimulation/methods MH - Female MH - Humans MH - Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods MH - Male MH - Middle Aged MH - Motor Neurons/*physiology MH - Muscle, Skeletal/*pathology/physiopathology MH - Severity of Illness Index MH - Statistics, Nonparametric EDAT- 2009/01/01 00:00 MHDA- 2010/09/18 06:00 CRDT- 2010/08/19 06:00 PHST- 2010/08/19 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2009/01/01 00:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2010/09/18 06:00 [medline] AID - S1567-424X(08)00019-6 [pii] AID - 10.1016/s1567-424x(08)00019-6 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Suppl Clin Neurophysiol. 2009;60:189-95. doi: 10.1016/s1567-424x(08)00019-6.