The effects of temperature on human compound action potentials.

The upper limbs of 10 healthy subjects were cooled and then warmed over physiological temperature ranges. The compound action potentials of median digital nerves, median sensory nerve at the wrist, radial sensory nerve at the wrist, and median thenar muscle, all showed progressive reduction in latency, amplitude, duration and area during rising temperature. Our studies suggest that the sensory compound action potential changes occur predominantly because of the summated effects of reduction in the duration of the action potentials of single myelinated fibres, although disproportionate increase in the conduction velocity of larger myelinated fibres also plays a role.

[1]  T. Sears,et al.  Overcoming conduction failure in demyelinated nerve fibres by prolonging action potentials , 1978, Nature.

[2]  A. Rosenfalck,et al.  Early recognition of nerve disorders by near‐nerve recording of sensory action potentials , 1978, Muscle & nerve.

[3]  I. Tasaki,et al.  Action currents of single nerve fibers as modified by temperature changes. , 1948, Journal of neurophysiology.

[4]  D. I. Abramson,et al.  Temperature effects on duration and amplitude of distal median nerve action potential. , 1970, Journal of applied physiology.

[5]  A. Huxley.  ION MOVEMENTS DURING NERVE ACTIVITY , 1959, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[6]  M. Rasminsky,et al.  The effects of temperature on conduction in demyelinated single nerve fibers. , 1973, Archives of neurology.

[7]  Fritz Buchthal,et al.  Evoked action potentials and conduction velocity in human sensory nerves , 1966 .

[8]  D. I. Abramson,et al.  Latency changes in distal median nerve produced by alterations in ambient temperatures. , 1969, Journal of applied physiology.

[9]  C. Bolton,et al.  Human sensory nerve compound action potential amplitude: variation with sex and finger circumference. , 1980, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[10]  I. Hausmanowa-Petrusewicz,et al.  The effect of cold on nerve conduction of human slow and fast nerve fibers , 1973, Neurology.

[11]  J. Girvin,et al.  Nerve and muscle biopsy , 1979, Neurology.

[12]  C. Bolton.  Electrophysiologic changes in uremic neuropathy after successful renal transplantation , 1976, Neurology.

[13]  J. Erlanger,et al.  THE ACTION OF TEMPERATURE ON THE EXCITABILITY, SPIKE HEIGHT AND CONFIGURATION, AND THE REFRACTORY PERIOD OBSERVED IN THE RESPONSES OF SINGLE MEDULLATED NERVE FIBERS , 1941 .

[14]  J. Mcleod,et al.  Refractory period, conduction of trains of impulses, and effect of temperature on conduction in chronic hypertrophic neuropathy. , 1977, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[15]  A. Hodgkin,et al.  The effect of temperature on the electrical activity of the giant axon of the squid , 1949, The Journal of physiology.

[16]  A. Vallbo,et al.  Somatosensory, proprioceptive, and sympathetic activity in human peripheral nerves. , 1979, Physiological reviews.

[17]  F. Buchthal,et al.  Peroneal muscular atrophy (PMA) and related disorders. I. Clinical manifestations as related to biopsy findings, nerve conduction and electromyography. , 1977, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[18]  A. Bak,et al.  Effect of temperature on the response of cervical vagal nerve , 1977, Experimental Neurology.