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Biomedical subjects

C Messina

Publications and source records attributed to C Messina.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Tonic foot: clinical and neurophysiological study of a case.

A case of involuntary plantar flexion of the toes and sole with no other neurological pathological sign is reported. The electromyographic activity of some muscles of the involved limb. the behavior of the phenomenon during the sleep-wakefulness cycle and spinal reflex excitability have been studied. According to the clinical and neurophysiological findings, the phenomenon appears to be a dystonia. Such a dystonia may occur as the only pathological neurological sign or together with the other signs of central nervous system involvement. Particular care has to be taken to distinguish 'tonic foot' from hypertonus of sole flexor muscles occurring almost always in all spastic hemipareses.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

[Foix-Chavany's syndrome: clinical and electrophysiological study of 1 atypical case (author's transl)].

An atypical case of "Foix-Chavany syndrome", is described. A definite diagnosis could be achieved through an electromyographic and reflessological investigation (jaw reflex, blink reflex, perioral reflex), when a poor clinical history was not helping towards a definite diagnostic conclusion. It is proposed that the diagnosis of "Foix-Chavany syndrome" should not be limited only to classical "facial diplegia of cortical origin" or to "facio-linguo-pharyngo-laryngo-masseter paralysis of cortico-subcortical origin". Considering the great clinical variability of a syndrome with a common anatomical substrate, it is proposed to use the eponym for all syndromes characterized by: 1) a motor deficit in the cephalic district with relative integrity of motor function of the limbs; 2) a dissociation between loss of voluntary motility and preservation of reflex and automatic motility.

Deglutition Disorders↗
PubMed1976

Different excitability of type 1 and type 2 alpha-motoneurons. The recruitment curve of H- and M-responses in slow and fast muscles of rabbits.

To evaluate the different excitability of Type 1 and Type 2 alpha-motoneurones, we analyzed comparatively the threshold and amplitude of the H-reflex and the Hmax/Mmax ratio in a slow muscle, soleus, and in a fast muscle, lateral gastrocnemius, of the rabbit. The H-reflex had almost always the same threshold in the muscles examined, but in soleus its amplitude increased much more than in lateral gastrocnemius when the stimulus intensity was increased. A clear difference in amplitude of the H-reflexes was already evident with stimuli subliminal for direct responses (M). The maximal H-reflex was always much higher in soleus than in lateral gastrocnemius. The calculation of the mean Hmax/Mmax ratio showed that it was 3 times higher in the slow than in the fast muscle. On the basis of these results, showing a clear-cut difference in the reflex excitability of slow and fast muscles and in the light of other experimental data available in the literature, we tend to conclude that Type 1 alpha-motoneurones are exclusively, or at least predominatly, depolarized by stimulation of afferent Ia fibres.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

The lack of deep reflexes in myotonic dystrophy.

Clinical and electrophysiological observations have been carried out on 12 patients with myotonic dystrophy. Neurological examination showed that the tendon reflexes were absent or weak in almost all cases, whereas the cutaneous reflexes were normal. Examination of both deep and superficial sensibility gave normal results. Electromyography confirmed widespread "myopathic" activity and myotonic discharges were recorded on insertion of the needle electrode and at rest. Motor and sensory conduction velocity in the ulnar nerve and motor conduction in the peroneal nerve proved to be normal. Repetitive supramaximal nerve stimulation showed in 10 cases a decrease in potential amplitude, more evident at higher frequencies of stimulation. In the 2 other cases, by contrast, an increase in amplitude was observed, and this was suggestive of a partial presynaptic block. The jaw reflex was absent in 5 cases and reduced in amplitude in the 7 other cases. The results of blink reflex investigations were normal, with the exception of 2 cases where no early response was elicited. Spinal monosynaptic reflexes were absent in 7 cases after both electrical (H reflex) and mechanical stimulation (T reflex), whereas the response to direct stimulation of nerve motor fibres (the M response) was always present, even though reduced in amplitude. Such data lead one to reject the hypothesis that the absence of deep reflexes is due to pathological change in the muscle spindles. It seems more likely that the selective atrophy of Type 1 muscle fibres, known to be involved in deep reflex responses, is responsible for the early disappearance of the tendon reflexes.

Action Potentials↗