Ethanol induced EMG changes and muscle force in a patient with polyneuropathy

A patient with chronic relapsing polyneuropathy noticed that when he took some alcohol in the evening his muscle force increased substantially during the next day. To measure this beneficial effect of ethanol we measured the force of hand grip, conduction velocities and distal latencies of ulnar and median nerves, and the power spectra of EMG during maximal and submaximal hand grip before and after alcohol ingestion. A 50% increase in the muscle force was documented 24 hours after the alcohol administration, with a concomitant increase of high frequency components in the power spectrum of EMG. Slight decreases in distal latencies were also measured.