Mild Bradykinesia Due to an Injury of Corticofugal-Tract from Secondary Motor Area in a Patient with Traumatic Brain Injury

Objectives@#We report on a patient who showed mild bradykinesia due to injury of the corticofugal tract (CFT) from the secondary motor area following direct head trauma, which was demonstrated on diffusion tensor tractography (DTT).Case summary: A 58-year-old male patient underwent conservative management for subarachnoid hemorrhages caused by direct head trauma resulting from a fall from six-meter height at the department of neurosurgery of a local hospital. His Glasgow Coma Scale score was 3. He developed mildly slow movements following the head trauma and visited the rehabilitation department of a university hospital at ten weeks after the fall. The patient exhibited mild bradykinesia during walking and arm movements with mild weakness in all four extremities (G/G - ). @*Results@#On ten-week DTT, narrowing of the right CFT from the supplementary motor area (SMA-CFT), and partial tearing of the left SMA-CFT, left CFTs from the dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC-CFT) and both corticospinal tracts (CSTs) at the subcortical white matter were observed. @*Conclusion@#This case demonstrated abnormalities in both CSTs (partial tearing at the subcortical white matter and narrowing), both SMA-CFTs (narrowing and partial tearing) and left dPMC-CFT. We believe our findings suggest the necessity of assessment of the CFTs from the secondary motor area for patients with unexplained bradykinesia following direct head trauma.

The pathogenic mechanisms of motor weakness following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A review

Motor weakness is one of the neurological complication that can occur after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH); incidence of motor weakness of 14~29% has been reported. Detailed information on the pathogenic mechanism of motor weakness is essential for brain rehabilitation because it enables estimation of the severity of injury, establishment of scientific rehabilitative strategies, and prediction of motor outcomes by clinicians. However, the exact pathogenic mechanisms of motor weakness following aneurysmal SAH have not been clearly elucidated. In this article, 14 previous studies on pathogenic mechanisms in patients with aneurysmal SAH were reviewed according to the location of the lesion (cerebral cortex, brainstem, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve). The following pathogenic mechanisms have been suggested: vasospasm, cerebral ischemia, hydrocephalus, compression of cerebral cortex, neural injury, spinal cord infarction, and radiculo-neuropathy. Considering the high incidence of aneurysmal SAH and motor weakness following aneurysmal SAH, we believe that the pathogenic mechanisms of motor weakness have been relatively understudied. More effort should be taken to investigate this important topic.

Bilateral temporo-mandibular joint dislocation due to complication of oro-facial dyskinesia

Oro-facial dyskinesia (OFD) is involuntary, abnormal, uncontrolled and stereotyped movements, consisting of forehead furrowing, eye opening and closing, smacking and pursing of the lips, lateral deviation and protrusion of the tongue, and occasionally lateral deviation and protrusion of the jaw.1 OFD is known to have various complications including speech difficulty, chewing and eating disorders, and social embarrassment; facial muscle stiffness, mucosal and gingival traumatic lesions. In addition, it may leads to cranio-mandibular joint (TMJ) complications in the presence of intense and prolonged abnormal movements, with pain and degeneration.1,2 There is no previous report of TMJ dislocation due to OFD. In this report, we describe a patient who developed bilateral anterior TMJ dislocation due to OFD which occurred following intra-cranial hemorrhage (ICH).

Usefulness of the Combined Motor Evoked and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials for the Predictive Index of Functional Recovery After Primary Pontine Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive index of functional recovery after primary pontine hemorrhage (PPH) using the combined motor evoked potential (MEP) and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) in comparison to the hematoma volume and transverse diameter measured with computerized tomography. METHODS: Patients (n=14) with PPH were divided into good- and poor-outcome groups according to the modified Rankin Score (mRS). We evaluated clinical manifestations, radiological characteristics, and the combined MEP and SEP responses. The summed MEP and SEP (EP sum) was compared to the hematoma volume and transverse diameter predictive index of global disability, gait ability, and trunk stability in sitting posture. RESULTS: All measures of functional status and radiological parameters of the good-outcome group were significantly better than those of the poor-outcome group. The EP sum showed the highest value for the mRS and functional ambulatory category, and transverse diameter showed the highest value for "sitting-unsupported" of Berg Balance Scale. CONCLUSION: The combined MEP and SEP is a reliable and useful tool for functional recovery after PPH.