Reliability of a novel neurostimulation method to study XXXX .

@entity2901 @entity2198 @entity121 @entity158
Experimental methods involving painful electrical stimulation of a peripheral nerve showed the existence of a minimum stimulation frequency capable of inducing cramp, termed "threshold frequency" ( @entity2198 ). Our aim was to test an alternative method to induce @entity2901 and cramps electrically. Two daily sessions of electrical stimulation of the abductor hallucis muscle were performed in 19 volunteers on 3 days: stimulation trains of 150 monophasic square pulses (duration 152 micros) of increasing frequency (current intensity 30% higher than maximal; frequency of the first trial, 4 pps; recovery between trials, 1 min) were delivered to the main muscle motor point until a cramp developed. Once a cramp was induced the protocol was repeated after 30 min. To verify by electromyography that cramp occurred, a surface electrode array was placed between the motor point and the distal tendon. Ambient and skin temperature were kept constant in all sessions. @entity2901 and cramps were elicited in all subjects. We observed the following median (interquartile range) values of @entity2198 : day 1 (session 1), 13 (6) pps; day 1 (session 2), 16 (4) pps; day 2 (session 1), 16 (6) pps; day 2 (session 2), 18 (6) pps; day 3 (session 1), 17 (4) pps; day 3 (session 2), 18 (8) pps. @entity2198 intersession intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.82, 0.92, and 0.90 for days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. @entity2198 interday intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.85. The absence of @entity158 due to the stimulation and the demonstration of @entity2198 reliability support the use of our method for the study of @entity121 .
