Single Motor Unit Laboratory
The Single Motor Unit Laboratory strives to understand how the nervous system
controls the motor units within a muscle so as to enable the generation of
smooth and precise changes in overall muscle force. We also seek to investigate
the role of intrinsic properties of the motoneurons that innervate the relevant
muscle fiber populations in providing such control.
Description of Research Program:
To help us understand the neural mechanisms contributing to impairment of human
voluntary motion, we record electrical activity from single motor units as well
as from whole muscle during voluntary and reflex contractions in patients with
neurological disorders such as stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and
spinal cord injury.
The effects of different clinical interventions are also being investigated in
order to aid the design of rehabilitation strategies targeting specific motor
unit properties. We use computer models to gain a better understanding of the
operation of the motoneuron pool, and also to pursue technical developments to
improve techniques that are used in the identification and analysis of motor
unit activation patterns.
Specific Studies: We seek to
- Identify the relative contribution of synaptic input and intrinsic
properties to altered motoneuron characteristics in stroke-induced spasticity.
- Promote the development of sensitive diagnostic tools for identifying
sub-clinical manifestations of ALS.
- Determine the contribution of vestibulospinal pathways to spasticity in
stroke survivors.
- Develop noninvasive methods to replace invasive methods for motor unit
discrimination and examination of neural and muscular disorders
- Identify unique neural control strategies in multidirectional muscles
- Examine the contribution of intrinsic motoneuron properties to spasticity
in stroke survivors.
Significance:
There are a host of potential contributors to spasticity, weakness and altered coordination in neurologically impaired muscle. By isolating motoneuron properties and the descending drive to the motoneuron, we are attempting to characterize alterations concurrent with deficient motor control. Our findings could lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.
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