Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals
Patellar tendon reflex tests are essential for evaluating neuromuscular function and identifying abnormalities in nerve conduction and muscle response. This study explored how age, height, weight, and gender influence reflex response times in healthy individuals, providing a reference for future res...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1522121/full |
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| author | Zakia Khatun Zakia Khatun Sara Kristinsdóttir Arndís Thóra Thórisdóttir Linda Björk Halldórsdóttir Francesco Tortorella Paolo Gargiulo Paolo Gargiulo Thordur Helgason Thordur Helgason |
| author_facet | Zakia Khatun Zakia Khatun Sara Kristinsdóttir Arndís Thóra Thórisdóttir Linda Björk Halldórsdóttir Francesco Tortorella Paolo Gargiulo Paolo Gargiulo Thordur Helgason Thordur Helgason |
| author_sort | Zakia Khatun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Patellar tendon reflex tests are essential for evaluating neuromuscular function and identifying abnormalities in nerve conduction and muscle response. This study explored how age, height, weight, and gender influence reflex response times in healthy individuals, providing a reference for future research on different neuromuscular conditions. We analyzed reflex onset, endpoint, and total duration of reflexes using electromyography (EMG) recordings from 40 healthy participants. Reflexes were elicited by striking the patellar tendon, and participants were grouped based on age, height, weight, and gender. We investigated both the individual and combined effects of these factors on reflex response times. Additionally, height and weight-normalized data were analyzed to clarify their roles in influencing reflexes across age groups. Gender-specific analyses were conducted as well to assess potential differences between males and females. Our findings indicated that reflex onset was significantly delayed in elderly individuals, particularly in taller and heavier individuals, and in males compared to females. Even with height normalization, elderly participants showed slower reflexes. Weight-normalized data revealed that younger participants exhibited longer total reflex durations, likely due to their greater height, which impacted nerve conduction time. This trend was consistent across genders, with males generally exhibiting longer duration of reflex response times. These findings provide insights into how different demographic factors, particularly aging, affect neuromuscular reflexes and could serve as a reference for diagnosing and monitoring neuromuscular disorders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0911e7f6c4af429da3321011726b459a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-0911e7f6c4af429da3321011726b459a2025-01-30T14:23:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-01-011510.3389/fneur.2024.15221211522121Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individualsZakia Khatun0Zakia Khatun1Sara Kristinsdóttir2Arndís Thóra Thórisdóttir3Linda Björk Halldórsdóttir4Francesco Tortorella5Paolo Gargiulo6Paolo Gargiulo7Thordur Helgason8Thordur Helgason9Department of Engineering, Institute of Biomedical and Neural Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, IcelandDepartment of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, University of Salerno, Salerno, ItalyIT Development, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, IcelandDevelopment Department, Nox Medical ehf., Reykjavik, IcelandDesign Transfer, Össur ehf., Reykjavik, IcelandDepartment of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, University of Salerno, Salerno, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, Institute of Biomedical and Neural Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, IcelandDepartment of Science, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, IcelandDepartment of Science, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, IcelandDepartment of Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, IcelandPatellar tendon reflex tests are essential for evaluating neuromuscular function and identifying abnormalities in nerve conduction and muscle response. This study explored how age, height, weight, and gender influence reflex response times in healthy individuals, providing a reference for future research on different neuromuscular conditions. We analyzed reflex onset, endpoint, and total duration of reflexes using electromyography (EMG) recordings from 40 healthy participants. Reflexes were elicited by striking the patellar tendon, and participants were grouped based on age, height, weight, and gender. We investigated both the individual and combined effects of these factors on reflex response times. Additionally, height and weight-normalized data were analyzed to clarify their roles in influencing reflexes across age groups. Gender-specific analyses were conducted as well to assess potential differences between males and females. Our findings indicated that reflex onset was significantly delayed in elderly individuals, particularly in taller and heavier individuals, and in males compared to females. Even with height normalization, elderly participants showed slower reflexes. Weight-normalized data revealed that younger participants exhibited longer total reflex durations, likely due to their greater height, which impacted nerve conduction time. This trend was consistent across genders, with males generally exhibiting longer duration of reflex response times. These findings provide insights into how different demographic factors, particularly aging, affect neuromuscular reflexes and could serve as a reference for diagnosing and monitoring neuromuscular disorders.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1522121/fullelectromyographynerve conduction velocitypatellar tendon reflexresponse time measurementreference database |
| spellingShingle | Zakia Khatun Zakia Khatun Sara Kristinsdóttir Arndís Thóra Thórisdóttir Linda Björk Halldórsdóttir Francesco Tortorella Paolo Gargiulo Paolo Gargiulo Thordur Helgason Thordur Helgason Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals Frontiers in Neurology electromyography nerve conduction velocity patellar tendon reflex response time measurement reference database |
| title | Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals |
| title_full | Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals |
| title_fullStr | Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals |
| title_short | Assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using EMG in healthy individuals |
| title_sort | assessing neuromuscular system via patellar tendon reflex analysis using emg in healthy individuals |
| topic | electromyography nerve conduction velocity patellar tendon reflex response time measurement reference database |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1522121/full |
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