title: Development and evaluation of two automated methods for quantifying human muscle sympathetic nerve activity.
abstract: The microneurographic technique of directly recording muscle sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in conscious humans was developed over 20 yr ago, but analysis and quantification of the resultant mean voltage neurogram has been largely by visual inspection by a trained observer. Two computer-assisted methods were developed to quantitate these bursts of efferent activity: peak detection, and ECG R-wave-triggered burst averaging. Peak detection was optimized using statistical techniques; burst averaging was compared to both the manual technique and to the peak detection method. Burst averaging was found to be the superior method because of its speed, consistency, and objectivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Engineering, Toronto General Hospital, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rothman
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Easty
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Frecker
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Floras
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000465:Algorithms; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012985:Software Design; D016683:Supine Position; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*