Premium
Electromyographic assessment of central motor disorders
Author(s) -
Wiesendanger Mario,
Rüegg Dieter G.
Publication year - 1978
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.880010512
Subject(s) - coactivation , electromyography , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , neuroscience , muscle tone , elbow , reciprocal inhibition , agonist , forearm , hindlimb , psychology , anatomy , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , receptor
Experimental procedures are described that were designed to assess central motor disorders quantitatively. Initially delineated is a study of triggered ballistic movement performed in a reaction‐time situation. The reciprocal triphasic EMG pattern recorded in an antagonistic muscle pair was clearly abnormal in Parkinsonian patients; increased duration, diminished synchronization of motor units, and a tendency for coactivation of agonist and antagonist muscles and for action tremor were observed. Transport time of elbow movement was prolonged, particularly in a choice reaction‐time situation. Rapid, passive displacements of the forearm combined with excitability measurements of hindlimb motoneurons in monkeys revealed the existence of a transcortical loop that may contribute to increased muscle tone in Parkinsonian patients.