Low depressive symptoms in acute spinal cord injury compared to other neurological disorders

The aim of the study was to reveal the incidence and time course of depressive symptoms following acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in relation to clinical outcomes for comparison to other neurological disorders with severe impairment. In patients with acute traumatic SCI (n=130), combined follow up assessments of neurological and functional outcomes, pain and patient-rated affective factors (e.g. mood, anxiety) were prospectively (1, 3, 6, 12months after injury) collected during rehabilitation and follow up in out-patient clinics. We related these to the severity of depressive symptoms (no, mild, moderate and severe) based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. The mean 65% of patients showed no depressive symptoms and 30% mild depressive symptoms, while less than 5% presented moderate to severe depressive symptoms. The group findings and symptoms in individual patients remained stable over 1year though patients revealed significant clinical recovery. Although two-thirds of the patients experienced pain, BDI scores were not related to pain intensity. BDI mean scores were only slightly higher than in control populations, but rather low compared to patients with other neurological disorders (e.g. stroke and multiple sclerosis) that are also associated with severe functional impairment. The prevalence of depressive symptoms following acute SCI is rather low and remains stable within the first year after injury despite the severe neurological impairment and loss of independency. In comparison to other neurological disorders that also involve brain function SCI patients seem to be less challenged by depressive symptoms that constitute additional burdens to respond to the severe functional impairment

Prediction and trend of tactile acuity, pain and disability in acute LBP : a six-month prospective cohort study

Background: Chronic back pain is known to be associated with altered tactile acuity. Tactile acuity is measured using the Two-Point Discrimination (TPD) test in both clinical and research settings. In subjects with chronic low back pain, the TPD threshold (TPDT) is increased and is associated with persistent pain. It remains unknown, however, whether TPDT is also altered in cases of clinical acute pain, or whether it could be used as a predictor of future pain and disability at an early stage of LBP. The main objective of this study was to investigate the predictive value of baseline TPDT for pain and disability at 3 and 6 months after the onset of acute LBP. The TPDT in acute low back pain (LBP) and the development of TPDT over 6 months has also been assessed. Methods: LBP participants (n = 124) with acute LBP (< 4 weeks) were included. Subjects were examined within 4 weeks of pain onset and followed-up after 3 and 6 months of pain onset. Horizontal and vertical TPDTs of the lower back were collected. Linear mixed models were subsequently used to evaluate the association of TPDT with pain and disability over time. Results: The vertical TPDT showed a mean (SD) of 4.9 cm (1.6) and the horizontal TPDT a mean (SD) of 6.0 cm (1.5) at baseline. The vertical TPDT altered from baseline up to 6 months from 4.9 to 4.6 cm and the horizontal TPDT from 6.0 to 5.4 cm. The association between the TPDT and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) after 6 months was moderate. Linear mixed models revealed no association between TPDT, pain and disability over the progression of LBP. Conclusion: TPDTs appear to be raised in subjects with acute LBP. However, our study revealed no predictive capability of the TPDT for disability and pain. No comparisons are possible in the absence of similar studies, indicating the need for further research is in this area

Changes of non‐affected upper limb cortical representation in paraplegic patients as assessed by fMRI

Peripheral and central nervous system lesions can induce reorganization within central somatosensory and motor body representations. We report changes in brain activation patterns during movements of non‐affected body parts in paraplegic patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Nine SCI patients and 12 healthy controls underwent blood oxygen level dependent signal functional MRI during sequential finger‐to‐thumb opposition, flexion and extension of wrist and of elbow, and horizontal movements of the tongue. Single subject and group analyses were performed, and the activation volumes, maximum t values and centres of gravity were calculated. The somatotopical upper limb and tongue representations in the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1) in the SCI patients were preserved without any shift of activation towards the deefferented and deafferented M1 foot area. During finger movements, however, the SCI patients showed an increased volume in M1 activation. Increased activation was also found in non‐primary motor and parietal areas, as well as in the cerebellum during movements of the fingers, wrist and elbow, whereas no changes were present during tongue movements. These results document that, in paraplegic patients, the representation of the non‐impaired upper limb muscles is modified, though without any topographical reorganization in M1. The extensive changes in primary and non‐primary motor areas, and in subcortical regions demonstrate that even distant neuronal damage has impact upon the activation of the whole sensorimotor syste

What Disconnection Tells about Motor Imagery: Evidence from Paraplegic Patients

Brain activation during motor imagery has been the subject of a large number of studies in healthy subjects, leading to divergent interpretations with respect to the role of descending pathways and kinesthetic feedback on the mental rehearsal of movements. We investigated patients with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) to find out how the complete disruption of motor efferents and sensory afferents influences brain activation during motor imagery of the disconnected feet. Eight SCI patients underwent behavioral assessment and functional magnetic resonance imaging. When compared to a healthy population, stronger activity was detected in primary and all non-primary motor cortical areas and subcortical regions. In paraplegic patients the primary motor cortex was consistently activated, even to the same degree as during movement execution in the controls. Motor imagery in SCI patients activated in parallel both the motor execution and motor imagery networks of healthy subjects. In paraplegics the extent of activation in the primary motor cortex and in mesial non-primary motor areas was significantly correlated with the vividness of movement imagery, as assessed by an interview. The present findings provide new insights on the neuroanatomy of motor imagery and the possible role of kinesthetic feedback in the suppression of cortical motor output required during covert movement

Reorganization in secondary somatosensory cortex in chronic low back pain patients

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional comparative study between chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients and healthy control subjects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate reorganization in the sensory cortex by comparing cortical activity due to mechanosensory stimulation of the lumbar spine in CLBP patients versus a control group by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: LBP is now the number 1 condition across the world in terms of years living with a disability. There is growing evidence that maladaptive changes in the processing of sensory input by the central nervous system are central to understanding chronic (back) pain. METHODS: Nonpainful, posterior-anterior (PA) movement pressure was applied manually to lumbar vertebrae at L1, L3, and L5 in 13 healthy subjects and 13 CLBP patients. The manual pressure (30 N) was monitored and controlled using sensors. A randomized stimulation protocol was used consisting of 51 pressure stimuli of 5 seconds duration. fMRI data analysis was performed for the group activation within the primary and secondary sensory cortices (S1 and S2, respectively) and the representation of the individual vertebrae was extracted and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Nonpainful PA pressure revealed no cortical reorganization in S1. In contrast, the extent of S2 activation in the CLBP group was significantly reduced in both hemispheres. In the control group, a somatotopy was identified for the lumbar vertebrae between L1 and L3, respectively, and L5 in S2 of the right hemisphere. Most importantly, a blurring of the somatotopic representation of the lumbar spine in S2 was observed in the patient group. CONCLUSION: Together, these maladaptive changes suggest a reorganization of higher-order processing for sensory information in CLBP patients that might have implications for a decreased sensory acuity, also related to body perception and subsequent altered functioning of the lumbar spine. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2

The association between mechanical temporal summation, state anxiety at baseline, and persistent low back pain: a 12-month prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Persons with acute low back pain (LBP) have a good prognosis for regaining function, while pain often persists. Neurobiological and psychosocial factors are recognized to amplify pain responses, as reported for central sensitization. This study investigated the combination of mechanical temporal summation (TS) chosen to characterize central sensitization and state anxiety representing a psychological factor and their association with persistent pain. Methods A longitudinal prospective cohort study including 176 participants aged between 18 and 65 with acute LBP was performed. The following independent variables were analyzed at baseline: The mechanical TS at the lower back, of whom the Wind-up ratio (WUR) was calculated, and the state anxiety level measured with the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S). The outcome pain intensity was assessed at baseline and 2,3,6 and 12 months after the onset of acute LBP with the Numeric Rating Scale 0–10 (NRS). Linear mixed models (LMM) were used to analyze the association of the independent variables with pain intensity over time. Results The mean baseline WUR was 1.3 (SD 0.6) for the right and 1.5 (SD 1.0) for the left side. STAI-S revealed a mean score of 43.1 (SD 5.2). Pain intensity was, on average, 5.4 points (SD 1.6) on the NRS and decreased over one year to a mean of 2.2 (SD 2.4). After one year, 56% of the participants still experienced pain. The LMM revealed a considerable variation, as seen in large confidence intervals. Therefore, associations of the independent variables (WUR and STAI-S) with the course of the outcome pain intensity over one year were not established. Conclusion This investigation did not reveal an association of mechanical TS and state anxiety at baseline with pain intensity during the one-year measurement period. Pain persistence, mediated by central sensitization, is a complex mechanism that single mechanical TS and state anxiety cannot capture

Psychologische Faktoren im Fokus : Fragen als Schlüssel zum Behandlungserfolg

Schmerzen können zu bestimmten Verhaltensweisen führen, die wiederum die Chronifizierung der Schmerzen begünstigen. Ein klassischer Teufelskreis. Umso wichtiger, dass Physiotherapeut*innen mit ihren Patient*innen sprechen und die richtigen Fragen stellen. Es ist bekannt, dass psychosoziale Faktoren wie Katastrophisierung, Angstvermeidung, geringe Genesungserwartungen und Kinesiophobie die Behandlungsergebnisse bei Menschen mit muskuloskelettalen Beschwerden (MSK-Patient*innen) beeinflussen. In den letzten Jahren wurden daher z. B. das STarT Back Screening Tool, das Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome (OSPRO) Tool und der Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire entwickelt und validiert

Adaptive changes in sensorimotor processing in patients with acute low back pain

In low back pain (LBP), primary care and secondary prevention of recurrent and persistent LBP are not always successful. Enhanced understanding of neural mechanisms of sensorimotor processing and pain modulation in patients with acute LBP is mandatory. This explorative fMRI study investigated sensorimotor processing due to mechanosensory stimulation of the lumbar spine. We studied 19 adult patients with acute LBP (< 4 weeks of an acute episode) and 23 healthy controls. On a numeric rating scale, patients reported moderate mean pain intensity of 4.5 out of 10, while LBP-associated disability indicated mild mean disability. The event-related fMRI analysis yielded no between-group differences. However, the computation of functional connectivity resulted in adaptive changes in networks involved in sensorimotor processing in the patient group: Connectivity strength was decreased in the salience and cerebellar networks but increased in the limbic and parahippocampal networks. Timewise, these results indicate that early connectivity changes might reflect adaptive physiological processes in an episode of acute LBP. These findings raise intriguing questions regarding their role in pain persistence and recurrences of LBP, particularly concerning the multiple consequences of acute LBP pain. Advanced understanding of neural mechanisms of processing non-painful mechanosensations in LBP may also improve therapeutic approaches.ISSN:2045-232