Longitudinal tracking of the same single motor unit in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

✍ Scribed by Clifton L. Gooch; Yadollah Harati

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 169 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0148-639X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199704)20:4<511::aid-mus18>3.0.co;2-0

✦ Synopsis

The electrophysiologic study of motor units in the Houston Veteran's Affairs Medical Center. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. human patient has a long history, 1,3,5,9,12 and the recent revival of interest in motor unit number estimation (MUNE) 2,4,6,10,11,13,14 has prompted the refinement of Single Motor Unit Studies. Our recording techcriteria and techniques for eliciting and identifying nique was adapted from a previously reported single motor unit action potentials (S-MUAP) 6 during method. 7 Each patient's thumb was taped to the lata single session. Doherty and Brown reported the first eral surface of the hand to insure reproducible mussuccessful longitudinal tracking, in 2 normal control cular conformation from session to session. 8 A dissubjects, of the same five motor units over five sepaposable 8 ϫ 30 mm adhesive active recording rate sessions. 7 Despite this progress, the feasibility of electrode (TECA Co., Pleasantville, NY) was placed this technique in patients with progressive deterioratransversely over the thenar eminence in close aption of the motor unit (where it could yield the most proximation to the end-plate zone of the abductor valuable data) has not, to our knowledge, been preand flexor pollicis muscles. The reference electrode viously reported. In this report, we describe the sucwas placed over the distal interphalangeal joint of cessful identification and tracking of at least three the thumb, and a circular ground electrode was individual motor units in each of 3 amyotrophic latplaced over the ulnar surface of the palm. Adjusteral sclerosis (ALS) patients with rapidly progressive ments were made in the location of the active elecdisease over three to four separate sessions during trode during initial stimulation to elicit a maximal an 8-12-week period.

compound motor action potential (CMAP) and initial negative deflection. The position of this active