CENTRAL MOTOR CONDUCTION TIME IN MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

The functional status of the descending motor pathways was assessed in malnourished children using transcranial electromagnetic stimulation of the cortex. Twenty children with different severities of malnutriti on and 20 control subjects were studied electrophysiologically. The ci rcular coil of a Dentac MAG 2 magnetic stimulator was applied tangenti ally over the vertex to stimulate the cortex. The muscle evoked potent ial in the children's arms was recorded from the abductor pollicis bre vis muscle and in their legs from the extensor digitorum brevis muscle on both sides of the body using surface electrodes. The muscle evoked potential of the abductor pollicis brevis and extensor digitorum brev is muscles was further obtained using root stimulation by applying the coil at the cervical and lumbar spine, respectively. The indices of c ortical threshold, cortical latency, and central motor conduction time (ms) were evaluated in both arm and leg muscles on both sides. The re sults showed an increased cortical threshold (mean (SD) 1232.5 (134.06 ) in the study group v 1147.5 (99.31) in the control group) for the ab ductor pollicis brevis muscle and for the extensor digitorum brevis mu scle (1325.00 (115.70) in the study group v 1190.0 (125.24) in the con trol group). Similarly, significant prolongation of the central motor conduction time (ms) (study group 6.67 (0.91) v control group 5.71 (0. 74)) in the abductor pollicis brevis muscle was seen in malnourished c hildren.