Abstract Details

Title ALS and cerebellum: Study of Eyeblink conditioning in Subjects with ALS

Topic Neuromuscular and Clinical Neurophysiology (EMG)

Presentation(s) P3 - Poster Session 3 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 11-002

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease which is defined by the as of yet unexplained death of upper and lower motor neurons. Cerebellar involvement in ALS is an aspect of the disease that requires investigation.

Hypotheses :

As a fine motor reflex, the reflex eyeblink (UR) of veterans with ALS will not be affected in terms of latency or amplitude compared to age- and sex-matched comparison veterans.
ALS patients will exhibit slower learning curves and comparison veterans.
ALS patients will exhibit slower learning curves regardless of the characterization of the progression of the disease process.

Objective To explore cerebellar involvement in ALS .

Design/Methods Examine eye blink conditioning (EBC) in subjects with ALS and age and gender matched comparison subjects using a protocol designed for optimal learning. Participants will be fitted with EMG electrodes and headphones, and informed that the study will evaluate responses to tones and air puffs to the eye as they view a silent video of their choice. With successive pairing with an auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) signaling unconditioned stimulus (US) presentation, a CR develops preceding the US presentation.

Results Started enrolling subjects. Statistical analyses will be performed using mixed-class ANOVAs and t-tests using SPSS (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) for Windows with α = .05.

Conclusions The pathophysiology of the cerebellum in ALS is less commonly reported. Our approach is to examine functions with strong cerebellar involvement in ALS. EBC has a well characterized circuitry with connections involving pontine nuclei and the cerebellum (Freeman,2015). It is thought that EBC will prove to be a useful tool in assessing the involvement of the cerebellum in ALS.

Authors/Disclosures
Aiga Rakhesh, MD (Syracuse VA medical center) PRESENTER	Dr. Rakhesh has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file