Motor unit changes in thoracic paraspinal muscles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Repeated Measurement of Respiratory Muscle Activity and Ventilation in Mouse Models of Neuromuscular Disease
Published on: April 17, 2017
Mamede de Carvalho1, Susana Pinto, Michael Swash
1Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal. mamedemg@mail.telepac.pt
Abstract:
In 38 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and 28 controls, we performed motor unit potential (MUP) analysis in the C-6 and T-5 paraspinal and biceps muscles. In ALS cases, we found similar abnormalities in MUPs in paraspinal and limb muscles. Fasciculation potentials (FPs) were more frequent in biceps than in paraspinal muscles, but fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves (fibs-sw) were equally frequent in all three muscles. These results confirm the value of paraspinal MUP analysis in the diagnosis of ALS.
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