Premium
Mechanically evoked sensory and motor responses to dynamic compression of the ulnar nerve
Author(s) -
Clarke Elizabeth C.,
McNulty Penelope A.,
Macefield Vaughan G.,
Bilston Lynne E.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.20701
Subject(s) - sensory system , ulnar nerve , compound muscle action potential , anatomy , peripheral , medicine , compression (physics) , motor nerve , neuroscience , electrophysiology , psychology , materials science , elbow , composite material
Mechanical deformation of a peripheral nerve can evoke action potentials in sensory and motor axons. The generation of these impulses with brief stimuli (<0.5 s) and their relationship to the deformation conditions have not been systematically studied in human subjects. Controlled compression stimuli over a range of amplitudes, durations, and loading rates were delivered to the ulnar nerve at the medial epicondyle in awake human subjects. Compound muscle action potentials were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous muscle. Subjects rated the magnitude of evoked paresthesias. Mechanically evoked motor and sensory responses varied linearly with the magnitude ( P < 0.001) and rate of deformation ( P < 0.01), but not the duration, and occurred only during the compression phase. Cutaneous axons had lower mechanical thresholds than motor axons. We relate these findings to the viscoelastic properties of peripheral nerves and differences in biophysical properties of cutaneous and motor axons. Muscle Nerve, 2006