Electrocutaneous reflexes in upper limbs--reliability and normal values in adults

The present study provides information as to both the range of normality and reliability of the electrocutaneous reflex (ECR) in upper limbs as a routine diagnostic procedure. Measurements were performed on 70 adult volunteers under optimized and standardized conditions. The mean latency was 40.3 +/- 3.2, 50.9 +/- 3.5 and 65.8 +/- 5.8 ms for E1, I1 and E2, respectively, and 21.9 +/- 1.6 ms for N22 of the cortical somatosensory-evoked potentials as recorded under identical stimulus conditions. Arm length represented the most important factor of interindividual variability while age was of minor and sex of no importance after normalization of the latencies for arm length.