title: Effects of anthropometric factors on nerve conduction: an electrophysiologic study of feet.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have shown that age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) affect the amplitude of sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs), but the total effects of multiple factors and the most prominently affected nerves have not been elucidated. We systematically investigated the effects of these factors on motor and sensory nerves of the feet.
  
  
  METHODS
  The amplitude, latency, and conduction velocity of compound muscle action potential (CMAP), SNAP, and mixed nerve action potential (MNAP) of the posterior tibial, calcaneal, distal posterior tibial, medial and lateral plantar, and sural nerves were measured in 30 healthy individuals (60 feet). The effects of age, sex, height, and BMI on each nerve were estimated by correlation and linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The amplitude of posterior tibial CMAP and distal posterior tibial MNAP decreased with BMI. The amplitude of medial plantar MNAP and sural SNAP decreased with height. The conduction velocity of calcaneal SNAP and distal posterior tibial and lateral plantar MNAP decreased with height and BMI. The conduction velocity of medial plantar MNAP decreased only with height. The latency of posterior tibial CMAP increased with age and height. The latency of lateral plantar CMAP and calcaneal SNAP increased with height. The latency of lateral plantar MNAP increased with BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of age, sex, height, and BMI in foot nerve conduction studies are not identical. Height and BMI were shown to strongly affect motor, sensory, and mixed nerve conduction. Further investigations are needed.
authors: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Maltepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: Nilgun
authors: N
authors: Cinar
authors: Sevki
authors: S
authors: Sahin
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Sahin
authors: Tugba
authors: T
authors: Okluoglu
authors: Sibel
authors: S
authors: Karsidag
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult