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Comparing axonal excitability in past polio to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Author(s) -
Liang Christina,
Ng Karl
Publication year - 2014
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.24265
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , poliomyelitis , depolarization , neuroscience , anterior horn cell , fasciculation , medicine , rheobase , paralysis , disease , psychology , pathology , surgery
: Poliomyelitis causes selective destruction of anterior horn cells and usually has a stable disease course post‐infection. We assessed the excitability characteristics in patients with a stable course after past poliomyelitis and compared them with changes described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods : The excitability characteristics of motor and sensory nerves were studied in 10 subjects with stable past poliomyelitis. Results : Motor rheobase was increased, but there were no significant changes in strength–duration properties or depolarizing threshold electrotonus, as have been seen in previous studies of ALS. Conclusions : There is minimal change in axonal excitability properties in patients with stable past poliomyelitis. The results may signify sufficient compensation in the stable state of the disease. Increased subexcitability in 1 subject with demonstrable hyperexcitability may represent compensation for increased ectopic activity rather than a different process in surviving motor neurons. Muscle Nerve 50: 602–604, 2014