Nerve conduction velocity
In neuroscience, nerve conduction velocity (CV) is the speed at which an electrochemical impulse propagates down a neural pathway.
Conduction velocities are affected by a wide array of factors, which include age, sex, and various medical conditions.
Studies allow for better diagnoses of various neuropathies, especially demyelinating diseases as these conditions result in reduced or non-existent conduction velocities.
The distance between the stimulating and receiving electrodes is divided by the impulse latency, resulting in conduction velocity.
These are MEMS devices that consist of arrays of metal micro-towers capable of penetrating the outer layers of skin, thus reducing impedance.
[10] Compared with traditional wet electrodes, multi-electrode arrays offer the following:[10] Baseline nerve conduction measurements are different for everyone, as they are dependent upon the individual's age, sex, local temperatures, and other anthropometric factors such as hand size and height.
The ability to predict normal values in the context of an individual's anthropometric characteristics increases the sensitivities and specificities of electrodiagnostic procedures.
[2] Conduction velocities in both the Median sensory and Ulnar sensory nerves are negatively related to an individual's height, which likely accounts for the fact that, among most of the adult population, conduction velocities between the wrist and digits of an individual's hand decrease by 0.5 m/s for each inch increase in height.
[2] Circumference of the index finger appears to be negatively associated with conduction amplitudes in the Median and Ulnar nerves.
[2] Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive and inevitably fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting the motor neurons.
[9] In patients with ALS, it has been shown that distal motor latencies and slowing of conduction velocity worsened as the severity of their muscle weakness increased.
[12][13] Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a peripheral neuropathy involving the degeneration of myelin sheathing and/or nerves that innervate the head, body, and limbs.
[7] Because electrodiagnosis is one of the fastest and most direct methods of determining the presence of the illness and its proper classification, nerve conduction studies are extremely important.
[16] Electrodiagnostic findings that may implicate GBS include:[3][7][16] Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is an autoimmune disease in which auto-antibodies are directed against voltage-gated calcium channels at presynaptic nerve terminals.
In addition, activity along the Schmidt-Lanterman incisures was non-continuous and non-linear in the diabetic group, but linear and continuous in the control.
