SYMPATHETIC SKIN-RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WIT H CEREBROVASCULAR OR SPINALLESIONS

Sympathetic skin response (SSR) originates from synchronized activatio n of the sweat glands as a response to a volley discharge in efferent sympathetic nerve fibres. In normal subjects intraindividually differe nt mono-, bi- and triphasic potentials could be recorded without signi ficant lateral differences. In 26 patients with cerebrovascular diseas e SSR was recorded. In 5 patients with extensive infarction in the ter ritory of the middle cerebral artery SSR amplitude was significantly d ecreased on the clinically healthy side due to ipsilateral damage of t he central sympathetic pathway. Changes of the SSR due to lesions of t he central sympathetic pathway were also found in patients with latera l medullary syndrome, thalamic infarction and central pain syndrome as well as in one patient with Brown-Sequard syndrome.