Electrical impedance myography at 50kHz in the rat: technique, reproducibility, and the effects of sciatic injury and recovery.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a refined technique for performing electrical impedance myography (EIM) in the rat and assess its reproducibility, long-term stability, and the effects of sciatic nerve injury.


METHODS
EIM at 50kHz was performed on the gastrocnemius-soleus complex of the rat hind limb in 12 rats, followed from 6 weeks of age for up to 6 months. Eight additional rats underwent sciatic nerve crush and 6 underwent a sham procedure.


RESULTS
The EIM variables of resistance, reactance and phase demonstrated substantial change with growth until approximately 14 weeks of age, at which point the measurements stabilized, giving mean values of 6.0+/-5.7Omega, 22.1+/-2.1Omega, and 16.5+/-1.1 degrees , respectively, at 16 weeks of age. Immediate reproducibility of technique was high with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.91 and higher for all three parameters. Sciatic crush produced marked reductions in the reactance and phase that reversed over a several week period.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support that 50kHz EIM can be performed effectively in adult rat models of neuromuscular disease with a straightforward experimental technique and that it is sensitive to neurogenic injury.


CONCLUSIONS
EIM can serve as a new approach to the study of neuromuscular disease in the rat.
Ahad
Mohammad A
MA
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Rutkove
Seward B
SB
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D009213:Myography; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000293:injuries*; D020426:Sciatic Neuropathy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors