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Identification of single motor units in skeletal muscle under low force isometric voluntary contractions using ultrafast ultrasound

Rohlén, Robin LU orcid ; Stålberg, Erik and Grönlund, Christer (2020) In Scientific Reports 10(1).
Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) controls skeletal muscles by the recruitment of motor units (MUs). Understanding MU function is critical in the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, exercise physiology and sports, and rehabilitation medicine. Recording and analyzing the MUs’ electrical depolarization is the basis for state-of-the-art methods. Ultrafast ultrasound is a method that has the potential to study MUs because of the electrical depolarizations and consequent mechanical twitches. In this study, we evaluate if single MUs and their mechanical twitches can be identified using ultrafast ultrasound imaging of voluntary contractions. We compared decomposed spatio-temporal components of ultrasound image sequences against the gold... (More)

The central nervous system (CNS) controls skeletal muscles by the recruitment of motor units (MUs). Understanding MU function is critical in the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, exercise physiology and sports, and rehabilitation medicine. Recording and analyzing the MUs’ electrical depolarization is the basis for state-of-the-art methods. Ultrafast ultrasound is a method that has the potential to study MUs because of the electrical depolarizations and consequent mechanical twitches. In this study, we evaluate if single MUs and their mechanical twitches can be identified using ultrafast ultrasound imaging of voluntary contractions. We compared decomposed spatio-temporal components of ultrasound image sequences against the gold standard needle electromyography. We found that 31% of the MUs could be successfully located and their firing pattern extracted. This method allows new non-invasive opportunities to study mechanical properties of MUs and the CNS control in neuromuscular physiology.

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Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scientific Reports
volume
10
issue
1
article number
22382
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85097985706
  • pmid:33361807
ISSN
2045-2322
DOI
10.1038/s41598-020-79863-1
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Funding Information: This work was funded by the Swedish Research Council (dnr 2015-04461) and the Kempe foundations (dnr JCK-1115). The authors thank Biomedical Engineer Urban Edström, R&D at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Västerbotten County Council, for helping with synchronization of the ultrasound and electromyography systems. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).
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06e0acc3-1508-4e4d-a088-f2588868251f
date added to LUP
2023-05-16 00:03:49
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2024-06-15 02:57:09
@article{06e0acc3-1508-4e4d-a088-f2588868251f,
  abstract     = {{<p>The central nervous system (CNS) controls skeletal muscles by the recruitment of motor units (MUs). Understanding MU function is critical in the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases, exercise physiology and sports, and rehabilitation medicine. Recording and analyzing the MUs’ electrical depolarization is the basis for state-of-the-art methods. Ultrafast ultrasound is a method that has the potential to study MUs because of the electrical depolarizations and consequent mechanical twitches. In this study, we evaluate if single MUs and their mechanical twitches can be identified using ultrafast ultrasound imaging of voluntary contractions. We compared decomposed spatio-temporal components of ultrasound image sequences against the gold standard needle electromyography. We found that 31% of the MUs could be successfully located and their firing pattern extracted. This method allows new non-invasive opportunities to study mechanical properties of MUs and the CNS control in neuromuscular physiology.</p>}},
  author       = {{Rohlén, Robin and Stålberg, Erik and Grönlund, Christer}},
  issn         = {{2045-2322}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Scientific Reports}},
  title        = {{Identification of single motor units in skeletal muscle under low force isometric voluntary contractions using ultrafast ultrasound}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79863-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41598-020-79863-1}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}