Summary of the article
This article is about a study that was conducted to check the abnormal short latency synaptic plasticity in the motor cortex of subjects with Becker muscle dystrophy (BMD). Before the research could take place, the author indicates that the assessment of the cortical function especially with patients with BMD has brought about contradicting results. The researchers used the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) so as to explore the excitability of the motor cortex. Therefore, the participants of the study were thirteen patients suffering from Becker Muscle dystrophy. Out of the thirteen patients, six of them are stated to have slight mental retardation. The research shows that a reasonable person the RTM delivered will increase the size of the motor evoked potentials (MEP). However, the study’s results demonstrate that the patient with BMD, the RTM produced will reduce the size of MEP. The findings of the research also claim that the duration of the cortical silent period seemed to be similar to that of the experimental patient groups and the control group. It can also be observed that an altered cortical short-term synaptic plasticity in glutamate-dependent excitatory circuits that is located within the cortex of the patients with BMD (Golaszewski et al., p.218).
Background and perspective
Duchenne and Becker muscle dystrophy are conditions that affect the skeletal muscles that are essential for heart muscles and movement. It has been observed that this disease usually affects men. Similarities between the two conditions are from their signs and symptoms (Joel, Bruce and Nicholas). However, they have significant differences such as the rate of the progression, severity and age of onset. Becker dystrophy progresses at a very slow rate. Research also shows that there is no cure for Becker muscular dystrophy therefore, the symptoms of the disease has to be controlled. There are some indications that the disorder could bring about mental retardation. This can be observed from the study conducted in the article. According to the test, it was able to find out that some patients with Becker Dystrophy Disorder suffer mental retardation. However, there are other researchers with different results.
Research that was conducted by Kumagai et al. was trying to explore for any mental retardation on patients with BMD. Thus, they examined the relationship between clinical phenotype and molecular abnormality. The deletions of the dystrophin gene were able to be analyzed from 137 patients suffering from DMD or BMD (Kumagai et al., p.483). The researcher’s prime purpose was to find the symptoms of the central nervous system. The IQs of the patients were assessed, and if the patients had below 70, they were considered to be mentally retarded. Out of the 137 patients, thirty nine of them were found to be mentally retarded and seven patients were found to have autism. The result of the study was that forty-nine percent of the DMD patients and seventy-nine percent of the BMD patients were discovered to have deletions in the dystrophin gene. In short, most of the participants with mental retardation in the research were BMD patients. This fact goes in line with the findings from the article that dystrophy gene can cause mental retardation in patients.
Numerous research claims that DMD can cause learning disabilities or mental retardation. Physicians believe that dystrophin abnormalities have a vast effect on the cognitive and behavioral deficit. According to the research, some of the learning disabilities that can be observed are difficulties in verbal learning, emotional interaction, focusing and memory. A study was conducted to search whether DMD or BMD are associated with causing learning disabilities (MD, p.8). The study was conducted by the pediatric neuropsychologist who first checked the IQ level of the students. Some of the children were found to have mental retardation and learning disabilities. However, few children were found to have mental retardation. The reason to have such findings is because of the rate of progression of DMD or BMD and age.
However, the two studies do not indicate about the mental retardation brought on by the disorder. In this article, it looks at how the Transcranial magnetic stimulation will help in revealing any abnormality of the brain of a person with Becker or Duchenne disorder. While conducting the research, the findings of the result were conflicting because the TMS was unable to find any abnormalities in the brain. Therefore, the researchers used the rTMS to investigate the mortar cortex excitability of the patients suffering from BMD (Golaszewski et al. p.219).
Methods and results
The first group was thirteen right handed BMD patients of ages 24 and below. The other participants were ten people who are healthy. Skeletal muscle biopsy was used to confirm that the participants in the first group were suffering from BMD. All the participants in the study had to undergo the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children to be evaluated on their IQ. It is known that if a person has FIQ<70 then they are mentally retarded. Those with FIQ of 70 to 80 they were considered to be borderline. The patients were divided into two groups. The first group was called the BMD-cog-group which was comprised of six mentally retarded patients. The other group was called the BMD-COG+ group that had seven patients with intelligence (Golaszewski et al., p.220). Three patients from each side were taking corticosteroids and continued to do so in the course of the study. Before the research could begin all the participants provided written consents.
Results
First and for most there were no adverse effects on the participants of the study. The findings of the research showed that the first group of patients had a higher RMT compared to the second group. There wasn’t any group effect when it comes to the ANOVAs for RMT in the first MEP amplitude and the CPS duration for the train (Golaszewski et al., p.221). The analysis of the research showed that the MEPs had progressed when there was an increase in size especially when the 5 Hz-rTMS was administered in control subjects as well as the second group of patients. When the MEP expanded in size, then the trains become lower in the MBD of the first group of patients. Lower amplitudes in the number of stimulus in the train can be observed from the first group of patients compared to those in the control study. However, when it comes to the second group of patients the MEP size does not differ from that of the control subjects.
Analysis of the study
In looking at the research, it can be observed that the people who have Becker dystrophy Disorder have the possibility of getting mental retardation. The research design used was very effective because the patients were able to be separated from the mentally normal patients to the ones with mental retardation. The findings of the research showed that some of the patients with DMD or BMD have mental retardation. These findings came from the assessment when the researcher conducted an IQ test (Golaszewski et al., p.221). Therefore, I agree with the outcome of this research since the intended purpose of the research was identified. By looking at most research conducted, one thing can be observed is that some of the patients get mental retardation. Consequently, when it comes to the process of treatment, it is better for the physician to ensure that the mental state of the patient has been tested (Joel, Bruce, and Nicholas). Mental retardation can bring about learning disabilities especially among children.
In conclusion abnormal short latency synaptic plasticity in the motor cortex of subjects with Becker muscle dystrophy could cause mental retardation. This fact can be observed from the research conducted by Golaszewski et al., where the participants have been submitted to a number of experiments (Golaszewski et al., p.222). In the beginning, their IQ levels were checked to look for any retardation. After that, the two groups were formed for the patients in which, the first group was consisted of individuals with mental retardation. The second group was patients who had no mental deformity. The findings of the research observed that the there was a difference in the result between group 1 and group two. The difference in result is stemmed from the mental retardation that affects the mind (Emery).
Work cited
"Duchenne & Becker Muscular Dystrophies." Muscular Dystrophy (2014): 8. Print
Emery, Alan E. H. Muscular Dystrophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print
Golaszewsk, Stefan, et al. "Abnormal short-latency synaptic plasticity in the motor cortex of subjects with Becker muscular dystrophy: a rTMS study." Elsevier (2016): 218-222. Print
Joel A. DeLisa, Bruce M. Gans, Nicholas E. Walsh. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice, Volume 1. Wolters Kluwer Health, 2005. Print
Toshiyuki Kumagai, et al. "Central nervous system involvements in Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy." Japanese Society of Child Neurology, (2015): 480-486. Print
