TY - JOUR
T1 - Motor unit number index (MUNIX) versus motor unit number estimation (MUNE)
T2 - a direct comparison in a longitudinal study of ALS patients
AU - Boekestein, Werner A
AU - Schelhaas, Helenius J
AU - van Putten, Michel J A M
AU - Stegeman, Dick F
AU - Zwarts, Machiel J
AU - van Dijk, Johannes P.
N1 - Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2012/8
Y1 - 2012/8
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how the motor unit number index (MUNIX) is related to high-density motor unit number estimation (HD-MUNE) in healthy controls and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).METHODS: Both MUNIX and HD-MUNE were performed on the thenar muscles in 18 ALS patients and 24 healthy controls. Patients were measured at baseline, within 2 weeks, and after 4 and 8 months. Clinical evaluation included Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and the ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS).RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between MUNE and MUNIX values in ALS patients (r=0.49 at baseline; r=0.56 at 4 months; r=0.56 at 8 months, all p<0.05), but not in healthy controls. After 8 months, both MUNE and MUNIX values of the ALS patients decreased significantly more compared to MRC scale, ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in relative decline of MUNIX and HD-MUNE values.CONCLUSIONS: In ALS patients, MUNIX and HD-MUNE are significantly correlated. MUNIX has an almost equivalent potential in detecting motor neuron loss compared to HD-MUNE.SIGNIFICANCE: MUNIX could serve as a reliable and sensitive marker for monitoring disease progression in ALS.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how the motor unit number index (MUNIX) is related to high-density motor unit number estimation (HD-MUNE) in healthy controls and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).METHODS: Both MUNIX and HD-MUNE were performed on the thenar muscles in 18 ALS patients and 24 healthy controls. Patients were measured at baseline, within 2 weeks, and after 4 and 8 months. Clinical evaluation included Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and the ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS).RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between MUNE and MUNIX values in ALS patients (r=0.49 at baseline; r=0.56 at 4 months; r=0.56 at 8 months, all p<0.05), but not in healthy controls. After 8 months, both MUNE and MUNIX values of the ALS patients decreased significantly more compared to MRC scale, ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in relative decline of MUNIX and HD-MUNE values.CONCLUSIONS: In ALS patients, MUNIX and HD-MUNE are significantly correlated. MUNIX has an almost equivalent potential in detecting motor neuron loss compared to HD-MUNE.SIGNIFICANCE: MUNIX could serve as a reliable and sensitive marker for monitoring disease progression in ALS.
KW - Action Potentials/physiology
KW - Adult
KW - Aged
KW - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/pathology
KW - Disease Progression
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Longitudinal Studies
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Motor Neurons/pathology
KW - Muscle Strength/physiology
KW - Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
KW - Nerve Degeneration/pathology
U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2012.01.004
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2012.01.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 22321299
SN - 1388-2457
VL - 123
SP - 1644
EP - 1649
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
IS - 8
ER -