ArticleNeurourology and urodynamics2018
Non-invasive electromyographic estimation of motor unit number in the external anal sphincter of the rat.
Article in Neurourology and urodynamics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Time-Series Analysis of Pregnancy and Childbirth Effects on Pelvic Floor Muscle Electrophysiology and Morphology in Rats.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Motor Unit Number Estimation in Spastic Biceps Brachii Muscles of Chronic Stroke Survivors Before and After BoNT Injection.IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering · 2023Article
- Innervation asymmetry of the external anal sphincter in aging characterized from high-density intra-rectal surface EMG recordings.Neurourology and urodynamics · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
aimsThe external anal sphincter (EAS) is essential for maintaining fecal continence. Neurological disorders or traumatic injuries to muscle and nervous systems could lead to EAS denervation. Currently, there are no techniques available to document global innervation changes in the EAS in vivo. The aim of this study was to develop a novel approach to non-invasively estimate the number of functioning motor units (MUs) in the EAS and validate with immunofluorescent techniques in rats.
methodsIntra-rectal surface electromyography (EMG) signals of the EAS, induced by a series of intra-vaginally delivered pudendal nerve stimulations with different intensities, were recorded. Variation in EMG responses at different intensities was used to estimate the value of a single motor unit potential (SMUP) in order to perform the proposed EAS motor unit number estimation (MUNE) approach. The EAS MUNE was tested in 12 female Sprague-Dawley rats, and validated by comparing against the EAS myofiber counting results achieved by performing immunostaining of acetylcholine receptors in 7 of the 12 rats.
resultsThe mean MU number was 35 ± 9, with an averaged SMUP size of 52.49 ± 20.39 μV. The mean number of successfully identified myofibers was 652.7 ± 130.6 myofiber/EAS. Significance of linear regression between the immunofluorescent results and the MUNE was confirmed (P < 0.01).
conclusionsOur study represents the first effort to non-invasively assess the innervation of the EAS in vivo using the rat as a pre-clinical model. This approach can potentially enable future clinical applications for advanced diagnosis and treatment of neurogenic EAS disorders.
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