THE POLYPHASIC ACTION CURRENTS OF THE MOTOR UNIT COMPLEX

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Abstract
Using hypodermic needles enamelled except at the tips, polyphasic records from 24 subjects were obtained which indicate that the. motor unit does not discharge as a whole. When several electrodes are so placed that they pick up the discharge from the same motor unit, but are separated from each other by distances of 0.5 cm. to 2 cm., the wave form recorded by each is different. A study of the time relations and voltage of the component parts of the discharge shows that each electrode registers discharges from 1 or more of the sub-units. The inference is that the motor unit discharge is the sum of the discharges of smaller divisions, perhaps fasciculi, in the muscle and that these sub-units are scattered to some extent. Rates of propagation of the discharge from one electrode to others varied from 1.3-12.5 ms./sec.

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