Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36313508›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neurology2022

Electrophysiological evidence of subclinical trigeminal dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 and smell impairment: A pilot study.

Giuseppe Cosentino, Eugenia Maiorano, Massimiliano Todisco, Paolo Prunetti, Elisa Antoniazzi, Giulia Tammam, Ilaria Quartesan, Sara Lettieri, Roberto De Icco, Angelo Guido Corsico and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Giuseppe CosentinoDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Eugenia MaioranoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Massimiliano TodiscoDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Paolo PrunettiTranslational Neurophysiology Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
Elisa AntoniazziTranslational Neurophysiology Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
Giulia TammamDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Ilaria QuartesanDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Sara LettieriDepartment of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Roberto De IccoDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Angelo Guido CorsicoDepartment of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Marco BenazzoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Antonio PisaniDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Cristina TassorelliDepartment of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Enrico AlfonsiTranslational Neurophysiology Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Smell and taste disturbances are among the most frequent neurological symptoms in patients with COVID-19. A concomitant impairment of the trigeminal nerve has been suggested in subjects with olfactory dysfunction, although it has not been confirmed with objective measurement techniques. In this study, we explored the trigeminal function and its correlations with clinical features in COVID-19 patients with impaired smell perception using electrophysiological testing. Methods: We enrolled 16 consecutive patients with mild COVID-19 and smell impairment and 14 healthy controls (HCs). Olfactory and gustatory symptoms were assessed with self-reported questionnaires. Electrophysiological evaluation of the masseter inhibitory reflex (MIR) and blink reflex (BR) was carried out to test the trigeminal function and its connections within the brainstem. Results: Masseter inhibitory reflex (MIR) analysis revealed higher latency of ipsilateral and contralateral early silent period in patients when compared with HCs. No significant differences between groups were detected as regards the duration of the early and late silent period. However, several patients showed a prolonged duration of the early silent period. BR evaluation disclosed only an increased amplitude of early components in patients. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 and smell impairment show a subclinical trigeminal nerve impairment. Trigeminal alterations mainly involve the oligosynaptic pathway, as a result of either direct viral damage or secondary neuroinflammation of the peripheral trigeminal fibers, whereas the polysynaptic ponto-medullary circuits seem to be spared. The prolonged duration of the early silent period and the increased amplitude of early BR response might reflect a compensatory upregulation of the trigeminal function as a consequence of the olfactory dysfunction.

Indexed as

anosmiabrainstem reflexesCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2trigeminal nerve

Identifiers

PMID36313508
PMCPMC9615421

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.