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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alexis Collins, Dr Steven Brown, Professor Mark BakerORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder SocietyBackground: Electromyogram (EMG) burst duration can provide additional diagnostic information when investigating hyperkinetic movement disorders, particularly when a functional movement disorder is suspected. It is generally accepted that EMG bursts <50 milliseconds are pathological. Objective: To reassess minimum physiological EMG burst duration. Methods: Surface EMG was recorded from face, trunk, and limb muscles in controls (n = 60; ages 19–85). Participants were instructed to generate the briefest possible ballistic movements involving each muscle (40 repetitions) or, in muscles spanning joints, to generate rapid rhythmic alternating movements (20–30 seconds), or both. Results: We found no effect of age on EMG burst duration. However, EMG burst duration varied significantly between body regions. Rhythmic EMG bursts were shorter than ballistic bursts but only significantly so for lower limbs (P < 0.001). EMG bursts of duration <50 milliseconds were frequently observed, particularly in appendicular muscles. Conclusion: We present normal reference data for minimum EMG burst duration, which may assist clinical interpretation when investigating hyperkinetic movement disorders.
Author(s): Collins AF, Brown STR, Baker MR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Movement Disorders Clinical Practice
Year: 2020
Volume: 7
Issue: 7
Pages: 827-833
Print publication date: 01/10/2020
Online publication date: 06/08/2020
Acceptance date: 24/07/2020
Date deposited: 25/11/2020
ISSN (print): 0885-3185
ISSN (electronic): 2330-1619
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.13044
DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.13044
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