Preserved Transcallosal Inhibition to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Nondemented Elderly Patients with Leukoaraiosis

Structural corpus callosum (CC) changes in patients with leukoaraiosis (LA) are significantly associated with cognitive and motor impairment. The aim of this study is to investigate the transcallosal fibers functioning by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in elderly patients with LA....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioMed research international 2013-01, Vol.2013 (2013), p.1-5
Main Authors: Pennisi, Manuela, Raggi, Alberto, Giordano, Daniela, Spampinato, Concetto, Pennisi, Giovanni, Cantone, Mariagiovanna, Giuffrida, Salvatore, Bella, Rita, Lanza, Giuseppe, Malaguarnera, Giulia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aged
Aged patients
Anticoagulants
Apathy
Brain research
Case-Control Studies
Clinical Study
Cognitive ability
Corpus callosum
Corpus Callosum - physiopathology
Dementia
Dementia - physiopathology
Demography
Female
Humans
Leukoaraiosis - physiopathology
Liver cirrhosis
Magnetic brain stimulation
Male
Medical imaging
Neuropsychological Tests
Physiological aspects
Studies
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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Summary:Structural corpus callosum (CC) changes in patients with leukoaraiosis (LA) are significantly associated with cognitive and motor impairment. The aim of this study is to investigate the transcallosal fibers functioning by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in elderly patients with LA. The resting motor threshold (rMT), the motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), and the controlateral (cSP) and ipsilateral silent periods (iSP) were determined using single-pulse TMS in 15 patients and 15 age-matched controls. The neuropsychological profile and the vascular burden at brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were concomitantly explored. Patients reported abnormal scores at tests evaluating executive control functions. No significant difference was found in TMS measures of intra- and intercortical excitability. No CC lesion was evident at MRI. Transcallosal inhibitory mechanisms to TMS seem to be spared in LA patients, a finding which is in line with neuroimaging features and suggests a functional integrity of the CC despite the ischemic interruption of corticosubcortical loops implicated in cognition and behavior. The observed neurophysiological finding differs from that reported in degenerative dementia, even in the preclinical or early stage. In our group of patients, the pure extent of LA is more related to impairment of frontal lobe abilities rather than functional callosal changes.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141
DOI:10.1155/2013/351680