- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Nerve, muscle, and neuromuscular junction
- Chapter 2 The motor unit
- Chapter 3 Motor control: spinal and cortical mechanisms
- Chapter 4 Cortical activity: single cell, cell assemblages, and networks
- Chapter 5 Recording of neural signals, neural activation, and signal processing
- Chapter 6 Nerve conduction studies
- Chapter 7 Electromyography
- Chapter 8 Quantitative electromyography
- Chapter 9 Axonal excitability: molecular basis and assessment in the clinic
- Chapter 10 Reflex studies
- Chapter 11 Electroencephalography
- Chapter 12 Intracranial electroencephalographic recordings
- Chapter 13 Magnetoencephalography
- Chapter 14 Transcranial magnetic stimulation
- Chapter 15 Evoked potentials
- Chapter 16 Polysomnography and other investigations for sleep disorders
- Chapter 17 Clinical neurophysiology of the pelvic floor
- Chapter 18 The clinical approach to neurophysiology
- Chapter 19 Focal neuropathies
- Chapter 20 Generalized peripheral neuropathies
- Chapter 21 Disorders of single nerves, roots, and plexuses
- Chapter 22 Neurophysiology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor degenerations
- Chapter 23 Clinical aspects of neuromuscular junction disorders
- Chapter 24 Primary muscle diseases
- Chapter 25 Paediatric conditions
- Chapter 26 EMG-guided botulinum toxin therapy
- Chapter 27 Genetic generalized epilepsy
- Chapter 28 Focal epilepsy
- Chapter 29 Syncope
- Chapter 30 Convulsive and non-convulsive status epilepticus
- Chapter 31 Presurgical evaluation for epilepsy surgery
- Chapter 32 Encephalopathy, central nervous system infections, and coma
- Chapter 33 Migraine, stroke, and cerebral ischaemia
- Chapter 34 Electroclinical features of paediatric conditions
- Chapter 35 Sleep disorders
- Chapter 36 Intraoperative monitoring
- Index
(p. 3) Nerve, muscle, and neuromuscular junction
- Chapter:
- (p. 3) Nerve, muscle, and neuromuscular junction
- Author(s):
Machiel J. Zwarts
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199688395.003.0001
Essential to all living creatures is the ability to convey information. In addition motor responses are required, for example running. This all is possible due to the ability of specialized cells to conduct information along the cell membrane by means of action potentials (AP) made possible by the charged cell membrane, which has selective permeability for different ions. Voltage and ligand sensitive ion channels are responsible for sudden changes in selective permeability of the membrane resulting in local depolarization of the membrane. The neuromuscular junction is a highly specialized region of the distal motor axon that is responsible for the transferring of activation from nerve to muscle. All these systems and subsystems can fail and a thorough understanding is necessary in order to understand the changes a clinical neurophysiologist can encounter while recording from the human nervous system in cases of disorders of brain, nerve and muscle.
Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.
Please subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.
For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Nerve, muscle, and neuromuscular junction
- Chapter 2 The motor unit
- Chapter 3 Motor control: spinal and cortical mechanisms
- Chapter 4 Cortical activity: single cell, cell assemblages, and networks
- Chapter 5 Recording of neural signals, neural activation, and signal processing
- Chapter 6 Nerve conduction studies
- Chapter 7 Electromyography
- Chapter 8 Quantitative electromyography
- Chapter 9 Axonal excitability: molecular basis and assessment in the clinic
- Chapter 10 Reflex studies
- Chapter 11 Electroencephalography
- Chapter 12 Intracranial electroencephalographic recordings
- Chapter 13 Magnetoencephalography
- Chapter 14 Transcranial magnetic stimulation
- Chapter 15 Evoked potentials
- Chapter 16 Polysomnography and other investigations for sleep disorders
- Chapter 17 Clinical neurophysiology of the pelvic floor
- Chapter 18 The clinical approach to neurophysiology
- Chapter 19 Focal neuropathies
- Chapter 20 Generalized peripheral neuropathies
- Chapter 21 Disorders of single nerves, roots, and plexuses
- Chapter 22 Neurophysiology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor degenerations
- Chapter 23 Clinical aspects of neuromuscular junction disorders
- Chapter 24 Primary muscle diseases
- Chapter 25 Paediatric conditions
- Chapter 26 EMG-guided botulinum toxin therapy
- Chapter 27 Genetic generalized epilepsy
- Chapter 28 Focal epilepsy
- Chapter 29 Syncope
- Chapter 30 Convulsive and non-convulsive status epilepticus
- Chapter 31 Presurgical evaluation for epilepsy surgery
- Chapter 32 Encephalopathy, central nervous system infections, and coma
- Chapter 33 Migraine, stroke, and cerebral ischaemia
- Chapter 34 Electroclinical features of paediatric conditions
- Chapter 35 Sleep disorders
- Chapter 36 Intraoperative monitoring
- Index