Estimation of Recruitment by Counting the Number of Active Motor Units Seen by an Intramuscular Electrode

McGill KC, Lateva ZC, Zardoshti Kermani M. Estimation of recruitment by counting the number of active motor units seen by an intramuscular electrode. Proc 12th Intl Soc Electromyogr Kinesiol (ISEK) Congr, 1998.

Quantification of motor-unit recruitment is of interest in both kinesiological and clinical electromyography. This paper considers whether recruitment can be estimated by counting the number of active motor units recorded by an intramuscular electrode. Two important issues are addressed. First, since the electrode may record motor-unit action potentials (MUAPs) with a wide range of amplitudes, what is an appropriate criterion for deciding which MUAPs to count? Second, is such counting likely to produce a reliable estimate?