Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
Motor Units01:13

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...
Motor Units00:46

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles01:24

Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles

Every cell in the body maintains a membrane potential due to an uneven distribution of positive and negative charges across its plasma membrane. The membrane potential is measured in millivolts and quantifies the difference in charge across the membrane.
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency01:22

Muscle Stimulation Frequency

The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Internal carotid artery dissection in the neurologist's practice - a case study].

Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego·2021
Same author

[Pulse wave velocity - a useful tool in assessing the stiffness of the arteries].

Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego·2019
Same author

Prevalence and extent of right-to-left shunt on contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler in patients with chronic hyperventilation syndrome: results of a case-control study.

Neurologia i neurochirurgia polska·2019
Same author

State-of-the-art approach towards magnetic resonance imaging of the nervous system structures in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices.

Neurologia i neurochirurgia polska·2018
Same author

BLOOD COUNT IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TREATED WITH MITOXANTRONE IN SHORT TIME OBSERVATION.

Acta poloniae pharmaceutica·2018
Same author

Limbic encephalitis - a report of four cases.

Central-European journal of immunology·2017

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Functional Isolation of Single Motor Units of Rat Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle
06:54

Functional Isolation of Single Motor Units of Rat Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Published on: December 26, 2020

Spectral analysis of motor unit action potentials.

Andrzej Dobrowolski1, Kazimierz Tomczykiewicz, Piotr Komur

  • 1Faculty of Electronics, Military University of Technology, 2 Kaliskiego Street, 00-908 Warsaw, Poland. ADobrowolski@wat.edu.pl

IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|December 14, 2007
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a new spectral discriminant for electromyography (EMG) analysis, improving diagnostic accuracy and objectivity. This method reduces errors and enhances the reliability of EMG signal examination for pathology classification.

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Intracellular Recording of a Lumbar Motoneuron and the Force Produced by its Motor Unit in the Adult Mouse In vivo
13:07

Simultaneous Intracellular Recording of a Lumbar Motoneuron and the Force Produced by its Motor Unit in the Adult Mouse In vivo

Published on: December 5, 2012

Electrophysiological Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE) Measuring Compound Muscle Action Potential (CMAP) in Mouse Hindlimb Muscles
09:07

Electrophysiological Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE) Measuring Compound Muscle Action Potential (CMAP) in Mouse Hindlimb Muscles

Published on: September 25, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Functional Isolation of Single Motor Units of Rat Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle
06:54

Functional Isolation of Single Motor Units of Rat Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle

Published on: December 26, 2020

Simultaneous Intracellular Recording of a Lumbar Motoneuron and the Force Produced by its Motor Unit in the Adult Mouse In vivo
13:07

Simultaneous Intracellular Recording of a Lumbar Motoneuron and the Force Produced by its Motor Unit in the Adult Mouse In vivo

Published on: December 5, 2012

Electrophysiological Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE) Measuring Compound Muscle Action Potential (CMAP) in Mouse Hindlimb Muscles
09:07

Electrophysiological Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE) Measuring Compound Muscle Action Potential (CMAP) in Mouse Hindlimb Muscles

Published on: September 25, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Neurology
  • Signal Processing

Background:

  • Electromyographic (EMG) signal examination in the time domain is used for pathology classification.
  • Current methods rely on temporal parameters, which can lead to diagnostic errors due to ambiguity and dependence on neurologist experience.
  • Existing procedures are time-consuming and lack objective comparison standards across different research centers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a novel spectral discriminant for unique and objective EMG-based diagnosis.
  • To overcome the limitations of time-domain analysis in EMG, such as ambiguity and inter-observer variability.
  • To provide an algorithmically realized definition for objective comparison of examination results.

Main Methods:

  • Statistical processing of electromyographic signals in the time domain.
  • Determination and calculation of mean values for selected temporal parameters.
  • Introduction and application of a new spectral discriminant for diagnosis.
  • Establishment of a standard for selected muscles based on 70 healthy cases.

Main Results:

  • The proposed spectral discriminant enables unique diagnosis.
  • The definition is precise and algorithmically realized, ensuring objectivity.
  • Facilitates objective comparison of results across physicians with varying experience and different institutions.
  • A standard for selected muscles derived from healthy cases is presented.

Conclusions:

  • The spectral discriminant offers a more objective and precise method for EMG analysis.
  • This approach reduces diagnostic errors and enhances the reliability of EMG examinations.
  • It allows for standardized comparison of results, irrespective of the physician's experience or research center.