posted on 2014-07-08, 13:50authored byLouisa Edwards, Christopher Ring, David McIntyre, Una Martin, John B. Winer
Reduced perception of somatosensory stimulation in patients with essential hypertension may be due to deficits in the
ascending somatosensory pathway. Function in the ascending somatosensory pathway was assessed bymeasuring N9,
N13, and N20 somatosensory-evoked potentials in 14 unmedicated essential hypertensives and 22 normotensives. N9
amplitudes were smaller and N13 amplitudes marginally smaller in hypertensives than normotensives. N9 amplitudes
were inversely associated with blood pressure. N20 amplitudes and N9, N13, and N20 latencies did not differ between
groups. In addition, plexus-to-cord, cord-to-cortex, and plexus-to-cortex conduction times were not different between
groups. These data suggest that hypertension affects the peripheral nervous system by reducing the number of active
sensory nerve fibers without affecting myelination. However, hypertension does not seem to affect the afferent somatosensory
pathway within the brain.
History
School
Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Published in
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
Volume
47
Issue
2
Pages
323 - 331 (9)
Citation
EDWARDS, L. ... et al, 2010. Effects of essential hypertension on short latency human somatosensory-evoked potentials. Psychophysiology, 47 (2), pp. 323 - 331.
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: EDWARDS, L. ... et al, 2010. Effects of essential hypertension on short latency human somatosensory-evoked potentials. Psychophysiology, 47 (2), pp. 323 - 331, which has been published in final form at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00939.x . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.