This study investigated the relationship between dysgeusia and dysesthesia in stroke patients and evaluated the effect of carbamazepine therapy. Twenty-four patients with dysesthesia of the face, oral cavity, or tongue were divided into two groups: with and without subjective dysgeusia. Taste thresholds were objectively evaluated using the filter-paper taste test and electrogustometry. There was no significant difference in taste thresholds between the two groups. Carbamazepine had an effect on subjective dysgeusia in four of the eight treated patients. Dysgeusia with dysesthesia in stroke patients might be caused by disorders of the somatosensory pathway rather than disorders of the gustatory pathway.

No abstract

Intensive repetition of movement elicited by the facilitation technique (chiefly proprioceptive neuromuscural facilitation pattern, stretch reflex and skin-muscle reflex) improved voluntary movement of a hemiplegic lower limb in patients with brain damage.

These findings suggest that RFE may be more effective than conventional rehabilitation in lessening impairment and improving upper-limb motor function during the subacute phase of stroke.

Corticobasal degeneration is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by a combination of parkinsonism and cortical dysfunction such as limb kinetic apraxia, alien limb phenomenon, and dementia. To study the effect of repetitive facilitation exercise (RFE) in a patient with corticobasal degeneration, we used a newly designed facilitation exercise designed to elicit movements isolated from the synergy in hemiplegia. This exercise included movements of each isolated finger using stretch reflex and skin-muscle reflex and repetitive movements demanded in activities of daily living (ADL) and manipulating objects. To evaluate improvements in hand functions by RFE, 1-week RFE sessions for the hand were administered alternatively to the left or right hand. The number of finger taps by the hand increased during each 1-week RFE session for the hand, but did not increase during 1-week sessions without RFE. After 1 month of treatment, the patient's difficulties in ADL, including wearing clothes, manipulating objects and cooking, decreased. Our results suggest the importance of the repetition of facilitation exercises and movements in ADL for recovery in patients with degenerative neurogenic diseases.