EMG Advances in Neurophysiology
As neurophysiology research continues to advance, understanding the relationship between the nervous system and muscle activity remains essential. EMG provides valuable insight into neuromuscular function, motor control and motor-unit behavior, helping researchers investigate movement, evaluate neurological conditions and assess responses to interventions.
This free webinar will explore how EMG is being used to advance neurophysiology research. Experts in the field will share their approaches to EMG acquisition, analysis and interpretation, showcasing its application across fundamental, clinical and translational research.
Attendees will leave with practical insights to strengthen the quality and impact of EMG measurements in their own neurophysiology research.
Program
10:00 – 10:05 AM
Introduction
Introduction
Nick Tocco, Junior Product Manager, Delsys
Welcome to the Delsys webinar, EMG Advances in Neurophysiology. In this session, researchers from across the world will share their latest findings on how advances in EMG technology are helping us better understand the neural control of movement. From uncovering motor-unit behaviour during strength training and movement to examining gait, neurological disorders, and rehabilitation; we’ll explore the diverse applications of EMG in neurophysiology research.
10:05 – 10:30 AM
From Neural Drive to Motor-Unit Output: Using dEMG to Understand the Neural Adaptations to Strength Training
From Neural Drive to Motor-Unit Output: Using dEMG to Understand the Neural Adaptations to Strength Training
Dr. Dawnson Kidgell, Exercise Neuroplasticity Research Unit, Monash University, Australia
Decomposed surface electromyography (dEMG) provides a unique opportunity to examine how individual motor units contribute to force production and adapt to long-term resistance training. In this webinar, I will present recent data comparing resistance-trained and untrained adults, in whom we identified more than 6,000 motor-unit observations across contractions ranging from 10 to 70% of maximal voluntary force. Resistance-trained individuals demonstrated higher motor-unit discharge rates at moderate-to-high contraction intensities and lower discharge-rate variability at higher forces.
I will discuss how these dEMG findings can be integrated with measures of corticospinal excitability to better understand how adaptations across the motor system are ultimately expressed at the level of the motoneuron pool and contribute to human strength.
10:30 – 11:00 AM
Neurophysiology in Motion: Exploring Neural Control with EMG and Stimulation
Neurophysiology in Motion: Exploring Neural Control with EMG and Stimulation
Dr. Jennifer Davies, School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University, UK
EMG is often used to describe muscle activation during movement, but it can also provide a window into the neural processes that control that movement. In this presentation, I will discuss how our group uses surface EMG alongside stimulation at different levels of the nervous system to investigate the neural control of walking.
Using examples from recent studies, I will show how stimulus-evoked EMG responses can be used to probe neural mechanisms controlling movement. This will include measuring motor evoked potentials during transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate changes in corticospinal excitability when walking is destabilised and examining modulation of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex across the gait cycle.
The presentation will consider what these approaches can tell us about the neural mechanisms underpinning movement, alongside some of the practical challenges of obtaining and interpreting neurophysiological measures during whole-body movement.
11:00 – 11:30 AMLess Flexible, Not Weaker: Motor Unit Firing in Children with DCD
Dr. Maaike Esselaar, Saarland University, Germany and Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Children with DCD can often struggle to produce skilled movement but can produce a steady grip, so what is different at the level of the muscle? Using Delsys HD-EMG, we decomposed motor-unit activity during low-force grip contractions in children with and without DCD, allowing us to look at the different strategies they use to produce the same force.
Looking ahead, I’ll discuss how the same approach could be applied to peripheral neuropathy, where altered motor-unit behaviour may relate to everyday problems such as pedal control when driving.
11:30 – 11:55 AMActivity-dependent adaptive deep brain stimulation improves gait in Parkinson's disease
Dr. Valeria de Seta, NeuroRestore, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) & Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Switzerland
Advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) leads to a spectrum of locomotor deficits, including heterogeneous gait abnormalities and freezing of gait, that remain poorly addressed by standard treatments. Unlike cardinal motor symptoms (i.e., tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement), conventional deep brain stimulation (DBS) often displays variable and sometimes detrimental efficacy for locomotor deficits. This inconsistent efficacy may stem from the episodic and context-dependent nature of gait disturbances, often further exacerbated by fatigue. Approaches that dynamically adjust stimulation in real time, aligned with gait dynamics, may more effectively alleviate these deficits.
In our feasibility study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of activity-dependent adaptive DBS in four participants with advanced PD and disabling gait impairments. By combining local field potential (LFP) recordings, electromyography (EMG), and inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, we identified personalised neural signatures associated with different locomotor states, including sitting, standing, walking, and obstacle avoidance.
We then used these signatures to enable real-time adjustments to DBS amplitude according to each participant’s ongoing activity. We compared this approach with conventional DBS using clinical gait assessments, muscular and kinematic measurements, and participant feedback. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and therapeutic potential of activity-dependent adaptive DBS for addressing gait impairments in Parkinson’s disease.
11:55- 12:00 PMClosing Remarks
Nick Tocco, Junior Product Manager, Delsys
The webinar will conclude with a few closing remarks and a thank you to our speakers and attendees.
Speakers
Dr. Dawson Kidgell
Dr. Jennifer Davies
Dr. Maaike Esselaar
