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Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1984 May;47(5):536–542. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.47.5.536

Sympathetic skin response--a method of assessing unmyelinated axon dysfunction in peripheral neuropathies.

B T Shahani, J J Halperin, P Boulu, J Cohen
PMCID: PMC1027833  PMID: 6330307

Abstract

The sympathetic skin response (SSR) was measured in 33 patients with peripheral neuropathies and in 30 normal control subjects. Abnormalities of the response were correlated with clinical, pathologic, and EMG observations. The response was usually absent in axonal neuropathies, but present in demyelinating disorders. Abnormalities of the sympathetic skin response did not correlate well with clinical evidence of dysautonomia, but were a reliable indicator of disorders affecting unmyelinated axons.

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Selected References

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