Objectives: To study the involvement of pyramidal tracts and sensory pathways in multiple system atrophy (MSA).
Materials and methods: Evoked potential studies were performed in 45 MSA patients suffering from either MSA of cerebellar type (MSA-C) or MSA of parkinsonian type (MSA-P).
Results: Motor evoked potentials were normal in all MSA patients, whereas visual and somatosensory evoked potential abnormalities were found in about 40% of the MSA patients with no significant difference between the cerebellar (MSA-C) and parkinsonian (MSA-P) subgroup. Abnormal latencies of wave III in brainstem auditory evoked potentials were significantly more frequent in MSA-C.
Conclusions: Abnormalities of somatosensory, visual and auditory evoked potentials are frequent findings in MSA, whereas abnormal motor evoked potentials are not a characteristic feature of the disease.