title: Differential aging of median and ulnar sensory nerve parameters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nerve conduction velocity slows and amplitude declines with aging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Median and ulnar sensory nerves were tested at the annual meetings of the American Dental Association. Seven hundred four subjects had at least two observations. The rate of change in the nerve parameters was estimated while controlling for gender, age, change in hand temperature, baseline body mass index (BMI), and change in BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Amplitudes of the median sensory nerve action potentials decreased by 0.58 μV per year, whereas conduction velocity decreased at a rate of 0.41 m/s per year. Corresponding values for the ulnar nerve were 0.89 μV and 0.29 m/s per year. The rates of change in amplitudes did not differ, but the median nerve demonstrated a more rapid loss of conduction velocity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of change for the median conduction velocity was higher than previously reported. The rate of change of median conduction velocity was significantly greater than for the ulnar nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Veterans Administration Hospital, 2215 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA. rawerner@umich.edu
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzblau
authors.forename: Hannah J S
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: D'Arcy
authors.forename: Bradley A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Evanoff
authors.forename: Henry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Tong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000502:physiology*