| Concordance between site of onset and limb dominance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 20562391 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Background Focality of onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not understood. Attempts to implicate physical exercise in the aetiology of ALS have provided inconsistent results. If physical use of a limb were important in defining the site of onset, then handedness might be expected to influence the side of upper limb-onset disease and footedness likewise in lower limb-onset ALS. Methods ALS patients registered with an internet-based support site were invited to complete an online questionnaire concerning site of onset of symptoms and their dominant hand and foot. A binomial test of proportions was used to investigate the null hypothesis that handedness and footedness do not influence side of onset in upper and lower limb-onset ALS, respectively. Results 343 ALS patients with limb-onset disease were studied. For upper limb-onset patients, there was concordance for side of onset and handedness (64%; p<0.0006). For lower limb-onset patients, concordance for side of onset and footedness was absent. The frequency of left handedness was commensurate with that found in the general population. Interpretation These results are potentially consistent with the hypothesis that exercise influences pathogenesis in ALS since routine physical demands on the upper limb are heavily influenced by limb dominance, whereas in the lower limbs the commonest function is standing or locomotion, which uses both legs equally. However, there may also be an inherent cortical vulnerability underlying upper limb-onset laterality, possibly influenced by changes in neuronal connectivity and cortical excitability in relation to handedness and reflected by the "split hand" phenomenon consistently observed in ALS. |
| | |
Authors:
|
M R Turner; P Wicks; C A Brownstein; M P Massagli; M Toronjo; K Talbot; A Al-Chalabi |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article Date: 2010-06-18 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry Volume: 82 ISSN: 1468-330X ISO Abbreviation: J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. Publication Date: 2011 Aug |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-07-11 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 2985191R Medline TA: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 853-4 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Department of Clinical Neurology, West Wing Level 3, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; martin.turner@clneuro.ox.ac.uk. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Sleep Habits and Fatigue of Children Receiving Maintenance Chemotherapy for ALL and Their Parents.
Next Document: The effectiveness of bladder rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis.