ABSTRACT
when the relation between N20 and LLR was examined based on the results of somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and long-loop reflexes (LLRs) obtained from 50 upper limbs of 25 normal subjects by stimulating the median nerve, four regions were set up in a latency correlation diagram. N20 and LLR were assumed to represent mainly the afferent and the efferent functions, respectively. The results of N20 and LLR obtained from 70 upper limbs of patients with multiple sclerosis were discriminated according to the presence or absence of pyramidal sign and/or vibratory sense impairment and were plotted on the four regions of the diagram. As a result, asymptomatic lesion in the afferent pathway was found in 5 out of 18 cases (28%) and that in the efferent pathway, in 9 out of 17 cases (41%). Simultaneous measurement of SEPs and LLRs is useful for evaluating the afferent and efferent pathways in the central nervous system, and those results are useful for programming and evaluating rehabilitation of patients with multiple scleosis.