F-wave study in the ALS patients and the normal controls.
Group 1
Group 2
NC
P-value Group 1 vs. NC
P-value Group 2 vs. NC
P-value Groups 1 vs. 2
Minimal F latency (ms)
APB
25.61 (3.17)
24.55 (1.86)
23.89 (1.53)
>0.05
>0.05
>0.05
ADM
25.85 (2.21)
24.54 (1.55)
24.06 (1.89)
<0.05
>0.05
<0.05
Maximal F latency (ms)
APB
29.98 (2.64)
28.74 (1.87)
26.94 (1.81)
<0.05
<0.05
>0.05
ADM
30.18 (2.31)
27.99 (2.02)
26.77 (2.04)
<0.05
>0.05
<0.05
Mean F latency (ms)
APB
27.77 (2.43)
26.14 (1.67)
25.23 (1.65)
<0.05
>0.05
<0.05
ADM
27.45 (2.27)
25.99 (1.67)
25.26 (1.97)
<0.05
>0.05
<0.05
Mean F amplitude (μV)
APB
263.05 (287.06)**
342.75 (164.99)
262.70 (91.83)
>0.05
>0.05
<0.05
ADM
375.90 (146.46)**
350.20 (118.38)
267.40 (78.83)
<0.05
<0.05
>0.05
F/M amplitude ratio
APB
13.35 (19.76)**
3.15 (1.95)
2.15 (0.74)
<0.001
0.063
<0.001
ADM
4.85 (2.54)**
2.71 (1.07)
2.01 (0.74)
<0.001
0.020
<0.001
F-wave persistence (%)
APB
39.35 (27.76)*
51.00 (17.45)*
95.40 (4.90)**
<0.001
<0.001
0.076
ADM
78.70 (23.32)*
98.10 (3.39)*
99.25 (1.45)**
<0.001
0.327
<0.001
Index RN (%)
APB
41.89 (26.09)**
31.87 (17.47)*
3.44 (2.98)*
<0.001
<0.001
0.277
ADM
25.26 (16.59)**
2.19 (5.44)*
0.70 (1.59)*
<0.001
0.157
<0.001
Index Freps (%)
APB
72.50 (23.43)**
62.65 (18.86)*
7.07 (6.16)*
<0.001
<0.001
0.134
ADM
51.27 (30.09)**
4.67 (11.19)*
1.39 (3.19)*
<0.001
0.149
<0.001
APB, abductor pollicis brevis; ADM, abductor digiti minimi; NC, normal control. All data are expressed as mean (SD). Values with significant differences printed in bold characters. *P < 0.001, **P < 0.05, between the APB and the ADM in each group. For comparisons of F/M amplitude ratio, F-wave persistence, index RN, and index Freps between the ALS patients in groups 1 and 2, and the normal controls, Bonferroni correction with a level of significance of <0.017 was used.
