Novel uses of EMG to study normal and disordered motor control.

The electromyogram (EMG) is unique in that it gives the output of a single class of neurons, a-motoneurons, in a way that can be readily recorded and studied in normal subjects as well as in patients with a variety of disorders. Although the EMG has been used for many years, new applications continue to be found. This paper reviews in succession four recent approaches to EMG recording that have provided insight into the function of the normal and the disordered nervous system.