Detection Limits for Electromyography-Based Diagnostics of Spontaneous Muscle Activity

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Thomas Klotz; Privatdozent Dr. Justus Marquetand
• Subject Area: Anatomy and Physiology ; Biophysics ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology ; Mathematics
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548605919

Spontaneous muscle activity is a clinically relevant feature of many neuromuscular diseases and, with a few exceptions, can only be detected electrophysiologically using invasive electromyography (iEMG), which is conventionally performed using needle electrodes. Until today, there are no validated methods for the detection of most types of spontaneous muscle activity (SA), e.g., fibrillations or myotonic discharges, using non-invasive surface EMG (sEMG), and the detection limits of SA have not been systematically investigated. We will answer this fundamental question through the research proposal outlined here by conducting an unprecedented combination of investigations that, for the first time, apply state-of-the-art EMG technology to this clinical question and enhance the results with computational modeling and analysis methods. Through an iterative exchange of insights from in-vivo and in-silico experiments, we will not only define the limits of the sEMG, but also answer questions regarding the origin of spontaneous muscle activity. Finally, we will translate the insights gained into quantum sensor technology and define the technical requirements for measuring pathological spontaneous activity using contactless magnetomyography (MMG), further shifting the detection limit for spontaneous muscle activity.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2311: Robust coupling of continuum-biomechanical in silico models to establish active biological system models for later use in clinical applications - Co-design of modeling, numerics and usability