Temperature dependency of turn/amplitude parameters.
OBJECTIVE
to assess the influence of the skin and muscle temperatures on the turns per second (T/s) and the amplitude per turn (A/T) and to find out whether turn/amplitude analysis requires temperature monitoring.


METHODS
ten healthy individuals (three women, seven men) aged 23 to 36 years.


METHODS
recording of two electromyograms (EMGs) in the right biceps brachii muscle from ten locations each, during isometric contractions with 30% of the elbow flexors' maximum force. The first EMG was recorded after warming the muscle to at least 37 degrees C and the second EMG after cooling the muscle to at least 27 degrees C.


RESULTS
lowering the muscle temperature by an average of 10.9 degrees C, the mean T/s decreased from 484 to 436 (P = 0.002), the mean A/T increased from 476 to 513 (P = NS) and the mean ratio T/s:A/T decreased from 1.1 to 0.91 (P =0. 0001). None of the individual results became patholgical after cooling the muscle.


CONCLUSIONS
in a range of 27 to 37 degrees C, turn/amplitude analysis can be performed without temperature monitoring.
Finsterer
J
J
2. Neurological Department, Neurological Clinic Rosenhugel, Vienna, Austria.
Mamoli
B
B
D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*