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Related Experiment Video

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Combining Multiple Data Acquisition Systems to Study Corticospinal Output and Multi-segment Biomechanics

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Sound evoked triceps myogenic potentials.

Marcello Cherchi¹, Nicholas P Bellinaso, Katrena Card

¹Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611-5800, USA. m-cherchi2@md.northwestern.edu

Otology & Neurotology : Official Publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [And] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology

|April 18, 2009

Summary

A monaural sound stimulus can reliably produce a myogenic potential in triceps muscles. This study demonstrates a new method for assessing muscle responses using standard vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) equipment.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Ophthalmology
Audiology

Background:

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are typically recorded from the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Assessing myogenic potentials from other muscles can provide valuable diagnostic information.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the feasibility of obtaining sound-evoked myogenic potentials from the triceps muscle.
To utilize recording and stimulus parameters commonly used for sternocleidomastoid VEMPs.

Main Methods:

A prospective study was conducted on 18 healthy adult volunteers.
Monaural acoustic stimuli were used to measure unrectified myogenic potentials from the triceps.
Surface electromyography electrodes and response-triggered averaging were employed.

Main Results:

The study successfully elicited robust and reproducible surface myogenic potentials in the triceps.
Specific latencies (P1, N1) and interlatency/interamplitude values were recorded.
P1 latency averaged 36.83 ms, N1 latency averaged 43.74 ms, and P1-N1 interamplitude averaged 93.23 microV.

Conclusions:

A monaural sound stimulus effectively elicits myogenic potentials in the triceps muscle.
This technique is reproducible and can be performed with standard VEMP equipment.
This finding opens possibilities for new diagnostic applications.