TY - JOUR
T1 - Excitability tests using high-density surface-EMG
T2 - A novel approach to studying single motor units
AU - Sleutjes, Boudewijn T.H.M.
AU - Drenthen, Judith
AU - Boskovic, Ernest
AU - van Schelven, Leonard J.
AU - Kovalchuk, Maria O.
AU - Lumens, Paul G.E.
AU - van den Berg, Leonard H.
AU - Franssen, Hessel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018
PY - 2018/8/1
Y1 - 2018/8/1
N2 - Objective: To study excitability of single motor units (MUs) using high-density surface-EMG. Methods: Motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) were evoked by submaximal stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist and recorded with a 9 × 14 electrode grid on the skin overlying the thenar muscles. For excitability tests of single MUs, the most optimal specific single-channel surface-EMG signal was selected based on the spatiotemporal profile of single MUs. Results: Axonal excitability measures were successfully obtained from 14 single MUs derived from ten healthy subjects. Selecting the optimal single-channel surface-EMG signals minimized interference from other single MUs and improved signal-to-noise ratio. The muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) could also be derived from the unique spatiotemporal profile of single MUs. Conclusion: High-density surface-EMG helps to isolate single MUAP responses, making it a suitable technique for assessing excitability in multiple single motor axons per nerve. Significance: Our method enables the reliable study of ion-channel dysfunction in single motor axons of nerves without any requirement for specific conditions, such as prominent MU loss or enlarged MUAPs due to collateral sprouting.
AB - Objective: To study excitability of single motor units (MUs) using high-density surface-EMG. Methods: Motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) were evoked by submaximal stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist and recorded with a 9 × 14 electrode grid on the skin overlying the thenar muscles. For excitability tests of single MUs, the most optimal specific single-channel surface-EMG signal was selected based on the spatiotemporal profile of single MUs. Results: Axonal excitability measures were successfully obtained from 14 single MUs derived from ten healthy subjects. Selecting the optimal single-channel surface-EMG signals minimized interference from other single MUs and improved signal-to-noise ratio. The muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) could also be derived from the unique spatiotemporal profile of single MUs. Conclusion: High-density surface-EMG helps to isolate single MUAP responses, making it a suitable technique for assessing excitability in multiple single motor axons per nerve. Significance: Our method enables the reliable study of ion-channel dysfunction in single motor axons of nerves without any requirement for specific conditions, such as prominent MU loss or enlarged MUAPs due to collateral sprouting.
KW - Excitability testing
KW - High-density surface-EMG
KW - Single human motor axons
KW - Single motor unit action potentials
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048406275&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2018.04.754
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2018.04.754
M3 - Article
C2 - 29909363
SN - 1388-2457
VL - 129
SP - 1634
EP - 1641
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
IS - 8
ER -