The impact of rectification on the electrically evoked long-latency reflex of the biceps brachii muscle

Abstract

Long latency reflexes (LLR) were elicited electrically and obtained by full wave rectified and non-rectified data recordings in 10 healthy subjects. After single or train stimuli (sensory radial nerve; interstimulus interval 3ms) amplitude and peak latency values were measured over the bent biceps brachii (BB) muscle, either without or with 1.5kg weight load. After rectification, mean LLR amplitude values made up 30% of the non-rectified data, independent from the stimulus type and weight load. In the non-rectified data, a significant gain in amplitude resulted from train stimuli compared with single stimuli, and from weight load compared to no weight load. No such significant difference was detected when rectified data were analysed. Furthermore, average amplitude values of rectified and non-rectified curves were studied using 11 sine waves and damped sine waves with equal phase intervals that were varied from 0° up to 34.4°. Phase shifts ranging from 10° to 25° resulted in excess amplitude decline of rectified data compared with non-rectified data. The long and polysynaptic course that LLR information takes leads to considerable overlap of responses to subsequent stimuli. This overlap of motor unit potentials forming the LLR obviously results in excess amplitude cancellation after rectification as shown for sine and damped sine waves. Rectification leads to an increase in the frequency content of the data that renders it prone to phase cancellation. In the present study, this cancellation was harmful as it prevented detection of important factors of influence such as stimulus strength and motor unit recruitment level.