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Validation of an incremental motor unit number estimation technique in rabbits
Author(s) -
David William S.,
Goyal Namita,
Henry Francis P.,
Baldassari Laura E.,
Redmond Robert W.
Publication year - 2010
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.21590
Subject(s) - reproducibility , intraclass correlation , medicine , motor unit , nuclear medicine , pathology , anatomy , chemistry , chromatography
Motor unit number estimation (MUNE) allows for quantitative assessment of functional motor units in a nerve. Several techniques have been applied to human studies. Although MUNE has been performed in animals to study neurological disorders, reproducibility has not been addressed. We analyzed the test–retest reproducibility of an incremental MUNE technique in rabbits and performed histological correlation. A peroneal MUNE was performed in 9 rabbits on two occasions separated by 30 days. MUNE was then performed on 18 rabbits prior to euthanize. A count of total fibers and a second count of large myelinated fibers were performed on nerve cross‐sections. Test–retest reproducibility revealed an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.75. The average test–retest relative difference was 26.6%. Comparison of MUNE and histomorphometrical counts revealed a correlation coefficient ( r ) of 0.21 (total fiber counts) and 0.27 (large fibers). Although incremental MUNE has a high degree of reproducibility in rabbits, there is poor correlation with histological fiber counts. Muscle Nerve, 2010