Methods for Estimating the Numbers of Motor Units in Human Muscles Journal Articles

abstract

• After the introduction by A. J. McComas of the original method for estimating the number of motor units based on manual incremental stimulation of a motor nerve, several new techniques have been developed, designed to correct for some of the errors inherent in the original technique. These methods incorporate algorithms to adjust for alternation and, to a greater or lesser extent, automate the methods, rendering the techniques less subject to operator bias and various physiological and technical errors. This review explores the advantages and drawbacks in the multiple-point stimulation (MPS), spike-triggered averaging (STA), and decomposition-enhanced STA techniques, illustrates some of the current applications of the techniques, and explores some tantalizing prospects for new studies of motor-unit physiology in the future.

authors

• Doherty, Timothy
• Simmons, Zachary
• OʼConnell, Barbara
• Felice, Kevin J
• Conwit, Robin
• Chan, K Ming
• Komori, Tetsuo
• Brown, Timothy
• Stashuk, Daniel W
• Brown, William

status

• published 

publication date

• November 1995

has subject area

• 1103 Clinical Sciences (FoR)
• 1109 Neurosciences (FoR)
• 1702 Cognitive Sciences (FoR)
• Algorithms (MeSH)
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MeSH)
• Axons (MeSH)
• Electric Stimulation (MeSH)
• Electromyography (MeSH)
• Electronic Data Processing (MeSH)
• Humans (MeSH)
• Motor Neurons (MeSH)
• Muscle, Skeletal (MeSH)
• Neurology & Neurosurgery (Science Metrix)

published in

• Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology  Journal

keywords

• Algorithms
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Axons
• Electric Stimulation
• Electromyography
• Electronic Data Processing
• Humans
• Motor Neurons
• Muscle, Skeletal

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1097/00004691-199511000-00004

PubMed ID

• 8600172

start page

• 565

end page

• 584

volume

• 12

issue

• 6