Integration of Sensory Force Feedback Is Disturbed in CRPS-Related Dystonia

Integration of Sensory Force Feedback Is Disturbed in CRPS-Related Dystonia

Mugge, W.
Van der Helm, F.C.T.
Schouten, A.C.

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Biomechanical Engineering

2013-03-26

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by pain and disturbed blood flow, temperature regulation and motor control. Approximately 25% of cases develop fixed dystonia. The origin of this movement disorder is poorly understood, although recent insights suggest involvement of disturbed force feedback. Assessment of sensorimotor integration may provide insight into the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia. Sensory weighting is the process of integrating and weighting sensory feedback channels in the central nervous system to improve the state estimate. It was hypothesized that patients with CRPS-related dystonia bias sensory weighting of force and position toward position due to the unreliability of force feedback. The current study provides experimental evidence for dysfunctional sensory integration in fixed dystonia, showing that CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia weight force and position feedback differently than controls do. The study shows reduced force feedback weights in CRPS-patients with fixed dystonia, making it the first to demonstrate disturbed integration of force feedback in fixed dystonia, an important step towards understanding the pathophysiology of fixed dystonia.

OA-Fund TU Delft

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5f5c0ac8-9d21-4d28-af24-e9e71bf50f84

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060293

Public Library of Science

1932-6203

PLoS ONE, 8 (3), 2013

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2013 The Author(s)
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