Near-Fiber Electromyography

Piasecki, Mathew; Garn�s-Camarena, Oscar; Stashuk, Daniel W

Abstract

Objective

Describe and evaluate the concepts of near fiber electromyography (NFEMG), the features used, including near fiber motor unit potential (NFMUP) duration and dispersion, which relate to motor unit distal axonal branch and muscle fiber conduction time dispersion, and NFMUP segment jitter, a new measure of the temporal variability of neuromuscular junction transmission (NMJ), and axonal branch and muscle fibre conduction for the near fibres (i.e. NF jitter), and the methods for obtaining their values.

Methods

Trains of high-pass filtered motor unit potentials (MUPs) (i.e. NFMUP trains) were extracted from needle-detected EMG signals to assess changes in motor unit (MU) morphology and electrophysiology caused by neuromuscular disorders or ageing. Evaluations using simulated needle-detected EMG data were completed and example human data are presented.

Results

NFEMG feature values can be used to detect axonal sprouting, conduction slowing and NMJ transmission delay as well as changes in MU fiber diameter variability, and NF jitter. These changes can be detected prior to alterations of MU size or numbers.

Conclusions

The evaluations clearly demonstrate and the example data support that NFMUP duration and dispersion reflect MU distal axonal branching, conduction slowing and NMJ transmission delay and/or MU fiber diameter variability and that NFMUP jiggle and segment jitter reflect NF jitter.

Citation

Piasecki, M., Garnés-Camarena, O., & Stashuk, D. W. (2021). Near-Fiber Electromyography. Clinical Neurophysiology, 132(5), 1089-1104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2021.02.008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 5, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2021
• Publication Date: May 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 19, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2021
• Journal: Clinical Neurophysiology
• Print ISSN: 1388-2457
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 132
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1089-1104
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2021.02.008
• Keywords: Physiology (medical); Sensory Systems; Neurology; Clinical Neurology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5394858
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388245721000717