Cortical Excitability as a Prognostic and Phenotypic Stratification Biomarker in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Despite its clinical heterogeneity, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is unified by early and prominent alterations in cortical excitability, increasingly recognized as contributors to disease progression. This study assessed whether the ratio between motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude, reflecting upper motor neuron integrity, and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude, indexing lower motor neuron function, could provide an accessible marker of corticospinal excitability to stratify patients by phenotype, stage, and survival.

Methods

In this multicenter retrospective study, 743 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients from 16 tertiary centers in Italy were analyzed. The MEP:CMAP ratio, recorded from upper limb muscles, was categorized as hyperexcitable, no

SUBMITTER: Ranieri F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542322 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature