2020 IEEE 2nd Global Conference on Life Sciences and Technologies (LifeTech 2020)

Approximation of F-wave from Evoked

Electromyography to Poisson Distribution and
Normal Distribution
Shigeyoshi Nakajima Hisanori Yuminaga
2020 IEEE 2nd Global Conference on Life Sciences and Technologies (LifeTech) 978-1-7281-7063-3/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE 10.1109/LifeTech48969.2020.1570619183

Dept. of Electronic Information System, Dept. of Physical Therapy,

Osaka City Univ. Grad. Sh. of Kansai Vocational College of
Engineering, Medicine,
Osaka, Japan Osaka, Japan,
nakajima@gm.osaka-cu.ac.jp yuminaga@kansai.ac.jp

Abstract— A diagnostic system from measurement of F- II. METHOD

wave of evoked electromyography is expected to be useful
because F-waves of patients with cerebral infarction,
Parkinson's disease, or ALS disease are different from those of
healthy persons. We found that distributions of numbers of
pulses (total 150 pulses) along the height ratio of F-wave vs M-
wave (F/M) of evoked electromyography very highly correlate
with other distributions of the same person. We show that
approximation of a distribution of F-wave with 300 pulses with
Poisson distribution and normal distribution useful for
diagnosis.
Keywords— F-wave, evoked myoelectricity, Poisson distribution,
normal distribution, cerebral infarction, Parkinson's disease, ALS
I. INTRODUCTION
It is well known that data of an evoked myoelectricity of
patients with cerebral infarction, Parkinson's disease or ALS
disease are different from those of healthy persons[1].
Conventionally 30 pulses or less of F-waves were recorded in
one measurement [2]. High F-waves indicate impaired
suppression of anterior horn cells and cause neuro disease.
Usually the average height value of F / M per 30 pulses were
used for diagnosis. F / M is a division value of a height of a
F-wave by a height of a M-wave. The division is needed
because a factor of skin resistance of the height of F-waves is
offset. However, the conventional method is not effective for
diagnosis because of the low correlation between
measurements of the same person. We proposed a record of F
/ M height values of 300 pulses per 1 measurement[3]. And
then we found that a correlation coefficient of F/M height
distributions was very high when 300 pulses of a patient or a
healthy person were divided into two series of 150 pulses.
Also we approximated the distribution of number of pulses
along F / M height of patients and healthy subjects as Poisson
distribution and normal distribution with high correlation
coefficients. Distributions with high correlations are
reproducible records. And we propose that an approximation
using Poisson distribution or normal distribution for F/M
pulses distribution is a highly correlated recording method for
neural disease diagnosis. The rest of the paper is structured as
follows II method, III experimental results, IV consideration
and V conclusion.
A. Coefficient of correlation of two distributions of
numbers of pulses along F/M of the same person
We measured 300 pulses of F-wave of a person in 1
measurement. And we divided 300 pulses to half and half i.e.
150 pulses and 150 pulses. We calculated the coefficient of
correlation of the two distributions of numbers of pulses along
F/M.
B. Coefficient of correlation of distribution along F/M and
approximation vs Poisson distribytion and normal
distribution
We show that the distribution of numbers of pulses along
F/M that the total was 300 pulses could be approximated by
Poisson distribution and normal distribution. The distribution
of healthy individuals is mostly Poisson distribution. And we
approximated a distribution of patient is like a normal
distribution. We calculated coefficients of correlation between
measured distributions and approximations.
III. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Fig. 1 Evoked Electromyography on Wrist
Evoked electromyography is performed as shown in Fig.
1. “A” is a stimulation electrode. “B” is a measuring electrode.
“C” is a reference electrode. The distribution of a normal
person is like a Poisson distribution, but also includes little
normal distributions. A distribution of a cerebral disorder
patient is like a normal distribution. Evoked pulses of 10 to
45V from “A” electrode are given with 1 second interval (i.e.
1 Hz). M-wave , F-wave and H-wave are measured by “B”
electrode. Then we counted a number of pulses of the i-th class
under a condition of vi <= F/M < vi+1 .

978-1-7281-7063-3/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE 251

Authorized licensed use limited to: University of Gothenburg. Downloaded on July 26,2020 at 22:59:35 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
A. Coefficient of correlation of pulses distribution along vs 30 pulses of the patient. The result was 0.683. We think that
F/M of the same person it’s low.
We measured 300 pulses of f-wave of a person at one B. Coefficient of correlation of pulses distribution along
measurement. And We divided 300 pulses to half and half i.e. F/M and approximation with Poisson distribution or
150 pulses and 150 pulses. Fig. 2 shows two series of normal distribution
distributions of numbers of pulses along F/M with of a healthy
person. One is a black line. Another is a gray line. The two Fig. 4 shows a Poisson distribution approximation for a
were similar to each other. The coefficient of correlation of distribution along F/M of a healthy person with 300 pulses.
Fig. 2 was 0.992. Also we calculate 30 pulses vs 30 pulses of The coefficient of correlation of Fig.4 was 0.989. But there are
the healthy person. The result was 0.879. little normal distributions in Fig.4 with F/M (from 4%to12%).

100
Fig. 5 shows a Normal distribution approximation for a
distribution along F/M of a patient with cerebral infarction
Two Series of 150 Pulses of with 300 pulses. The coefficient of correlation of Fig.5 was
Healthy Person 0.995.
Num. of Pulses (time)

150
50
Num. of Pluses of Patient vs
Normal Dist.
100

Num. of Pulses (time)

0 Patient
11.0

13.0

15.0

17.0

19.0

21.0
1.0

3.0

5.0

7.0

9.0

50
Normal Dist.
F/M(%)
Fig. 2 F/M of Healthy Person
0

10

30

50

70

90

110

130

150

170

190
80
Two Distributions of 150 Pulses F/M(%)
60 of Patient Fig. 5 Normal Distribution Approximation for
Patient with Cerebral Infarction
Num. of Pulses (time)

40

IV. CONSIDERATION
20
The two distributions along F/M of the same person are
highly correlated to each other with total 150 pulses and have
0 enough information. A Poisson distribution approximation is
highly correlated to a measurement of a healthy person. And
10

30

50

70

90

110

130

150

170

190

F/M(%) normal distribution approximation is highly correlated to a

Fig. 3 F/M of Patient with Cerebral Infarction measurement of a patient. Then the distributions along F/M
are easily reconstructed from the approximations.
200
Num. of Pulses (time)

Num. of Pluses of Healthy Person

150 vs Poisson Dist. V. CONCLUSION
We showed that a distribution along F/M of 150 pulses is
100 Healthy Person a record with enough information and an approximation with
Poisson or normal distribution can reconstructs the origin.
50 Poisson Dist.
We will investigate more data and improve our
approximation method in future.
0
1.0

3.0

5.0

7.0

9.0

11.0

13.0

15.0

17.0

19.0

21.0

F/M(%)
REFERENCES
Fig. 4 Poisson Distribution Approximation for
Healthy Person
[1] Federica Ginanneschi, Mauro Mondelli, Alessandro Aretini and
Alessandro Rossi, Reappraisal of the F/M amplitude ratio in carpal
tunnel syndrome; Neurol. Jan-Mar; 32(1): 23–27,2017.
Fig. 3 shows two distributions along F/M with 150 pulses [2] Hisanori Yuminaga, Katsuma Yamada and Masaru Ogiri,“Change of
of a patient with cerebral infarction. One is a black line. Ipsilateral of Upper Motoneuron Excitability Due to Planter
Another is a gray line. M-wave in Fig. 3 was too weak because Vibration,”Japanese Journal of Physiological Anthropology, Vol.19,
muscle disease of the patient. So values of F/M become high. No.2, pp.91−96, 2014.
The two were similar to each other. The coefficient of [3] Hisanori Yuminaga, Shigeyoshi Nakajima et al., “Usefulness of evoked
correlation of Fig. 3 was 0.931. Also we calculated 30 pulses EMG F wave in rehabilitation medicine,” Proc. of 56th Annual Meeting
of Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2–P2K–5–

252

Authorized licensed use limited to: University of Gothenburg. Downloaded on July 26,2020 at 22:59:35 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.