title: Fasciculations: what do we know of their significance?
abstract: Fasciculations are observed in patients with neurogenic disorders and in healthy individuals. Depending on the associated clinical symptoms and signs, they may signify the presence of a variety of disorders of the lower motor neuron. Divergent and occasionally conflicting opinions prevail regarding the aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical significance, neurophysiological characteristics and the physiological site of origin of fasciculations. In this review we examine the published literature and attempt to clarify these issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Royal London Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Swash
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D005207:Fasciculation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology