A jaw muscle may offer an additional target for bulbar EMG in ALS
Original source
The Anterior Belly of the Digastric Muscle as a Novel Target for Needle Electromyography in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Study type
- Observational study
- Studied in
- Human
A prospective observational study found that the anterior belly of the digastric muscle was easier to relax and less painful to test than the genioglossus muscle during needle electromyography (EMG). In 27 people with clinically diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it also showed frequent electrical abnormalities and may provide an additional target for evaluating bulbar muscles.
Why this matters
This could give clinicians another option when testing the genioglossus is difficult because of pain or poor relaxation. The finding concerns diagnosis and assessment, not treatment, and does not yet change care on its own.
Limitations and context
The study was unblinded and observational, and included 27 clinically diagnosed ALS patients. It compared muscles during EMG but did not establish that testing the digastric muscle improves diagnostic accuracy or patient outcomes. Further study would be needed to confirm its role.