title: Motoneuron excitability and the F wave.
abstract: For three motoneuron pools that differ in excitability to Ia inputs [tibialis anterior (TA), abductor pollicis brevis (APB), and soleus], F-wave parameters were measured at rest, during voluntary contraction, and following prolonged vibration. There was an inverse relationship between F-wave chronodispersion and F-wave persistence at rest, and this appeared to be related to the ease of recording the H reflex for the motoneuron pool. During a steady voluntary contraction, overall F-wave activity increased in amplitude but decreased in duration for TA and APB. Following vibration of the test muscle at 50 HZ for 10 min there was a long-lasting depression of the H reflexes of TA and APB, but no significant change in F-wave measurements. These findings are consistent with the view that reflex discharges can prevent F waves in low-threshold motor units, and that chronodispersion is affected by the extent of reflex activity; that is, chronodispersion and related F-wave measurements do not measure motor properties exclusively. The findings also suggest that F waves provide a flawed measure of the excitability of the motoneuron pool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, and Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: M Geraldine
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Espiritu
authors.forename: Cindy S-Y
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009470:Muscle Spindles / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D014732:Vibration