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Society for Neuroscience - Abstract Archive: 2000-2005

Neuroscience 2005 Abstract

Presentation Number: 989.15 Abstract Title: Authors: Is surface electromyography a measure for neurocommands? Piovesan, D.* R.
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; Bortolami, S. B. ; Debei, S. ; DiZio, P.

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; Lackner, J.

Graybiel Laboratory, Brandeis Univ.ersity, Waltham, MA MA, 415 South Street, 02454, USA, 415 South Street, 02454,

Primary Theme and Topics

Sensory and Motor Systems - Kinematics and EMG -- Reaching and pointing

Secondary Theme and Sensory and Motor Systems - Kinematics and EMG Topics -- Reaching and pointing Session: Presentation Time: Location: Keywords: 989. Kinematics and EMG: Reaching and Pointing II Poster Wednesday, November 16, 2005 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Convention Center Exhibit Hall, Poster Board HH7 arm, muscle, modeling, activation

Surface electromyography (SEMG) has been used as an experimental measure of the descending motor commands. Muscle models have been developed to use SEMG recordings to simulate muscle force. We evaluated whether SEMG in conjunction with the state of the art Virtual Muscle (VM) model (Cheng et al, 2000) could replicate a simple elbow movement. Four healthy male subjects (25.81yrs) made fast and slow flexion/extension movements of their right elbow with an average amplitude of 675. Slow movements had an average peak velocity of 759/s, fast movements 34218/s. Subjects were tested in an upper arm configuration that does not implicate any action of the shoulder muscles during elbow movements (Kapandji, 1983). The longitudinal axis of the right upper arm was kept flexed at 45 and abducted at 60. This position permits equilibrium of the periarticular shoulder muscles and immobilizes the humerus. We recorded SEMG at 4000Hz from the biceps brachii short head, triceps brachii long head, triceps brachii medial head, brachioradialis and biceps brachii long head. A potentiometer measured elbow flexion within 0.05 accuracy. We correlated kinematics data and SEMG patterns. For slow movements, we did not find any correlation between elbow position or velocity and SEMG in any of the muscles (r<0.4). For fast movements, we found good correlation between SEMG and elbow velocity for the biceps brachii long head (r>0.7 p<0.05), but not for any of the other muscles (r<0.2). We could not reliably reproduce the measured elbow kinematics (minimum error >10 ) by using the VM model in conjunction with the raw SEMG data, either with single trials or averaged data across trials. Although SEMG is prima facie attractive for the estimation of descending neurocommands, our data suggest that even with the best biomechanical models we lack the computational techniques to discover the mapping of SEMG onto neural commands if one exists. Supported by DIM Univ Padova, NASA NAG9-1466, NIH RO1AR48546-01 Sample Citation:

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Society for Neuroscience

http://www.sfn.org/absarchive/abstract.aspx?print=on

[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2005 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 2005. Online. Copyright 2005-2012 Society for Neuroscience; all rights reserved. Permission to republish any abstract or part of any abstract in any form must be obtained in writing by SfN office prior to publication.

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