Number and relative size of thenar motor units in ALS patients: application of the adapted multiple point stimulation method

Abstract

In the present study, the adapted multiple point stimulation (AMPS) method was first applied to median innervated thenar muscles in 22 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients who did not received any treatment. In all patients, a motor unit number estimate (MUNE) and an average surface-recorded motor unit action potential (S-MUAP) size have been derived even if the denervation was severe; and the results were reproducible. The thenar MUNE was less than the normal lower limit for age in 17 patients, and the mean MUNE (67.1 +/- 90.6) was significantly different from that estimated in control subjects (263.3 +/- 116.8). The mean S-MUAP size in the 22 ALS patients was 352.9 +/- 328.4 microV x ms versus 94.1 +/- 30.3 microV x ms in healthy volunteers. A control AMPS was achieved in 8 patients after 2 and 6 months of a glutamate-release antagonist (riluzole) treatment. The mean loss of motor units, based on control thenar MUNEs realized after 6 months of treatment, was 53%. In conclusion, we propose AMPS as a manageable, reproducible and non-invasive procedure which permits one to quantify peripheral denervation and to appreciate the effectiveness of collateral reinnervation in ALS patients.