However, electrophysiological and behavioural measurements in humans and non-human primates tentatively suggested some degree of bilateral processing even in early somatosensory areas. We report a patient who suffered a small and confined lesion of the hand area in the postcentral gyrus that resulted in a proprioceptive deficit without any concomitant primary motor impairment. We performed a finger position-matching task with target locations being defined proprioceptively. Without visual feedback of either hand, the patient demonstrated
a significant leftward shift of perceived locations when reaching with the ipsilesional right hand Selleck SB202190 to her contralesional left hand and an opposite rightward shift when reaching with the left hand to the position of the right hand. Although these directional errors improved when vision of the active hand was allowed, errors were still significantly larger than those of age-matched healthy controls with unconstrained view of the active contralesional hand. Reaching to visual targets without visual online feedback the patient revealed comparable errors with both hands. Reaching to visual targets with full visual feedback, she was as accurate as controls with either hand. In summary,
our data demonstrate an effect of the right postcentral lesion on proprioceptive information processing for both hands. The results suggest an integration of contralateral and ipsilateral proprioceptive information already at this early processing stage possibly mediated by callosal connections. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Vitamin buy Ro 61-8048 D compounds have been used successfully to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism for almost three decades. Side effects of increased levels of serum calcium and phosphate and potential complications have increasingly been recognized as problematic, and this has become an even more difficult clinical challenge with the desire to capitalize on some of the pleiotropic effects of vitamin D. Nonclassical
nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) effects on the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and immune system, with the prospect of improved patient survival, have moved to center stage. Selective vitamin D compounds with minimal effects on mineral metabolism and with maximal cardiovascular and renal benefits are now needed. New Exoribonuclease vitamin D compounds already in clinical use, which have an improved side-effect profile and differential nonclassical effects compared with calcitriol, are limited to the three licensed pharmaceuticals-paricalcitol, 22-oxacalcitriol, and doxercalciferol. Other compounds are under early development and it is anticipated that these novel therapeutic concepts will result in new vitamin D therapies that will help to reduce the high mortality rate patients with kidney disease experience. Kidney International (2011) 79, 702-707; doi: 10.1038/ki.2010.