P06: Pre-Congress: Nerve and Muscle Excitability - 2 day course

This 2-day hands-on course will provide a good grounding in the theory and practice of nerve and muscle excitability testing, and in the analysis of excitability recordings.

Axonal and muscle membranes are critically dependent on the embedded ion channels and the potential difference across their membranes.

Nerve excitability testing is a complementary electrophysiological technique to regular nerve conduction studies and provides much more information about the mechanisms underlying the physiology and pathophysiology of large, myelinated fibres.

Similarly, Muscle excitability testing probes the excitability of muscle membranes through the effect of various electrical stimulus paradigms on the muscle response.

Both techniques have been used to reveal disease mechanism in a broad range of neuromuscular disease.

This workshop is hands-on and there should be ample opportunity to perform these techniques. By the end of the course, participants should be able to perform these techniques to a high standard and with a good degree of reproducibility.

08:00 - 08:10      Nerve Excitability Workshop Introduction
Tim Howells & Hatice Tankisi

08:10 - 08:40      An introduction to nerve excitability and the TROND protocol
Tim Howells

08:40 - 09:00      Equipment and safety considerations
Tim Howells

09:00 - 10:00      Hands-on: Nerve Excitability
Tim Howells & Kelvin Jones

·  Demonstration of Axonal excitability: median nerve - APB
·  Axonal excitability: median nerve to APB

10:00 - 10:30      Coffee Break

Nerve Excitability:
10:30 - 10:50      Patterns of axonal dysfunction
Tim Howells

10:50 - 11:10      The effect of temperature on axonal excitability
Martin Koltzenburg

11:10 - 12:00      Hands-on: Nerve Excitability
Tim Howells
·  Demonstration of Sensory excitability (median nerve - D2)
·  The effects of temperature on axonal excitability (median nerve - D2)

12:00 - 13:00      Lunch (provided for registered course participants)

Muscle Excitability #1
13:00 - 13:30      Methods and normal findings
Werner Z´Graggen

13:30 - 13:45      Muscle Excitability: My Tips and Tricks for the beginner
Hatice Tankisi

13:45- 15:00       Hands-on: Muscle Excitability
Hatice Tankisi
·  Demonstration of Muscle Velocity Recovery Cycle and frequency protocols (TA)
·  Muscle Velocity Recovery Cycle and frequency protocols (TA and Brachioradialis)

15:00 - 15:30      Afternoon Break

CMAP Scan MUNE #1
15:30 - 16:00      Introduction to MUNE methods and MScanFit
Kelvin Jones

16:00 - 17:00      Hands-on and demonstration: CMAP Scan MUNE
José Matamala & Kelvin Jones
· Demonstration of CMAP Scan (APB)
· CMAP Scan (APB)