| Normal data on axonal excitability in Koreans |
| Ju Young Lee1, Jin Hyeok Yu1, So Young Pyun2, Sanghyo Ryu3, and Jong Seok Bae1 |
1Department of Neurology, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
2Department of Neurology, National Police Hospital, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Neurology, Headong Hospital, Busan, Korea |
| Corresponding Author:
Jong Seok Bae ,Tel: +82-2-2224-2206, Fax: +82-2-2224-2339, Email: jsb_res@hotmail.co.kr |
|
Received October 11, 2016 Revised: December 13, 2016 Accepted December 13, 2016 |
| Copyright © 2017 The Korean Society of Clinical Neurophysiology |
| This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited. |
| ABSTRACT |
Background: Automated nerve excitability testing is used to assess various peripheral neuropathies and motor neuron diseases. Comparing these excitability parameters with normal data provides information regarding the axonal excitability properties and ion biophysics in diseased axons. This study measured and compared normal values of axonal excitability parameters in both the distal motor and sensory axons of normal Koreans.
Methods: The axonal excitability properties of 50 distal median motor axons and 30 distal median sensory axons were measured. An automated nerve excitability test was performed using the QTRACW threshold-tracking software (Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK) with the TRONDF multiple excitability recording protocol. Each parameter of stimulus–response curves, threshold electrotonus, current–voltage relationship, and recovery cycle was measured and calculated.
Results: Our Korean normal data on axonal excitability showed ranges of values and characteristics similar to previous reports from other countries. We also reaffirmed that there exist characteristic differences in excitability properties between motor and sensory axons: compared to motor axons, sensory axons showed an increased strength–duration time constant, more prominent changes in threshold to hyperpolarizing threshold electrotonus (TE) and less prominent changes in threshold to depolarizing TE, and more prominent refractoriness and less prominent subexcitability and superexcitability.
Conclusions: We report normal data on axonal excitability in Koreans. These data can be used to compare various pathological conditions in peripheral nerve axons such as peripheral neuropathies and motor neuron disease. |
| Key words:
Nerve excitability testing; Threshold tracking; Normal; Axonal excitability; Korean |
|
|
|
PDF Links
Download Citation 
Print 
