Aberrant synchrony in the somatosensory cortices predicts motor performance errors in children with cerebral palsy.

2014

Max Kurz
[email protected]
402-559-9599

Cerebral palsy (CP) results from a perinatal brain injury that often results in sensory impairments and greater errors in motor performance. Although these impairments have been well catalogued, the relationship between sensory processing networks and errors in motor performance has not been well explored. Children with CP and typically developing age-matched controls participated in this investigation. We used high-density magnetoencephalography to measure event-related oscillatory changes in the somatosensory cortices following tactile stimulation to the bottom of the foot. In addition, we quantified the amount of variability or errors in the isometric ankle joint torques as these children attempted to match a target. Our results showed that neural populations in the somatosensory cortices of children with CP were desynchronized by the tactile stimulus, whereas those of typically developing children were clearly synchronized.

somatosensory, cerebral palsy, Aberrant synchrony

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals Published/In Press

Professionals, Students

jn.physiology.org

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