Abstract
Long latency responses (LLR) were measured in stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia. Surface electromyograms of bilateral anterior tibial muscles (TA) were recorded after toe-up perturbation from 0 to 8 deg at a speed of 20 deg/sec. Five responses were averaged for perturbation of bilateral, hemiparetic, and non-paretic ankles, respectively. Latencies and amplitudes of LLR were compared to the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set. Latencies of LLR recorded from paretic TA in response to bilateral perturbation were closely correlated with motor and sensory items (r=-0.76, r=-0.91). Unilateral stimulation could not evoke LLR in patients with severe motor and/or sensory disturbance. The latencies of LLR from non-paretic side by paretic ankle perturbation were delayed in parallel with the degree of sensory disturbance (r=-0.74, r=-0.60). Since LLR from non-paretic side evoked by non-paretic perturbation were diminished, the bilateral projection and/or information processing responsible for LLR were hyposthesized. LLR may be useful to monitor motor and sensory recovery in stroke patients as an adjunct to routine clinical evaluation.
