title: A custom designed system to measure corticospinal tract jitter.
abstract: Typical latency of an individual limb muscle response to magnetic or electric stimulation of the human cortex is in the range of 10-50 ms. For the latency variability, i.e., jitter studies, a resolution of at least 20 micros is needed. Commercially available EMG equipment needs custom-designed upgrading to allow for such studies. Two solutions were designed: (i) a hardware unit allowing an adjustable delay of data acquisition after the delivered stimuli; and (ii) diverting of the amplified biological signal and the EMG equipment trigger to an external computer equipped with an analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC) module. Custom-designed software made fast ADC possible during the whole period of data acquisition. Both concepts were applied to a Vickers Medical Mystro electromyograph, and have been successfully used in the Ljubljana (Slovenia) Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology for the last 2 years.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia. marjan.mihelin@uikn.mf.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mihelin
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Liscic
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008838:Microcomputers; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000502:physiology*