title: Decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging: contraction level effects.
abstract: Decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging (DE-STA) was applied to the vastus medialis muscle to examine size distributions of surface-detected motor-unit action potentials (S-MUAPs) at various force levels. Using DE-STA, 15-20 S-MUAPs were identified during 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% of maximum voluntary contraction. Average S-MUAPs showed increase in peak to peak (and negative peak) amplitude with force (In microV): 5% = 37.9 +/- 6.1 (16.6 +/- 2.5), 10% = 44.0 +/- 4.0 (20.4 +/- 1.8), 20% = 80.7 +/- 9.3 (41.3 +/- 4.5), and 30% = 102.5 +/- 10.3 (53.6 +/- 5.0). Test-retest variability of peak to peak (and negative peak amplitude) between repeated trials was 0.10 (0.14), 0.14 (0.14), 0.17 (0.15), and 0.21 (0.20) at 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% respectively. A relationship was found between the S-MUAP amplitude and force (r2 = 0.78, df = 90, F = 160, P < 0.001). Increase in average S-MUAP amplitude with force suggests that STA performed only at low levels of contraction may result in a biased sampling and small average S-MUAP amplitudes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Conwit
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tracy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jamison
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stashuk
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Metter
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018401:Sample Size