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Muscle sympathetic activity in cerebellar degeneration with or without mild autonomic dysfunction
Author(s) -
Shindo K.,
Tsunoda S.,
Shiozawa Z.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1999.tb00388.x
Subject(s) - microneurography , medicine , blood pressure , heart rate , cardiology , autonomic nervous system , atrophy , degeneration (medical) , sympathetic nervous system , autonomic function , endocrinology , baroreflex , heart rate variability , pathology
To evaluate autonomic function in sporadic cases of cerebellar degeneration (CD) with or without mild autonomic dysfunction, we measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography in 12 CD patients and 18 healthy subjects. The burst incidence and mean amplitude of MSNA at rest was significantly decreased in CD patients ( P < 0.01). There were no significant differences between patients with CD and controls in heart rate or blood pressure at rest. During head‐up tilting, increases in blood pressure and mean amplitude of MSNA were significantly lower in CD patients. In conclusion, a decrease in muscle sympathetic outflow can be observed even in CD patients who are clinically excluded from multiple system atrophy (MSA). It might be difficult to distinguish other CD syndromes from MSA in recordings of muscle sympathetic activity.