Ghahremani Arekhloo Negin, Parvizi Hossein, Zuo Siming, Wang Huxi, Nazarpour Kianoush, Marquetand Justus, Heidari Hadi
Microelectronics Lab, James Watt School of Engineering, The University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Neuranics Ltd., Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Front Neurosci. 2023 May 18;17:1154572. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1154572. eCollection 2023.
Neuromuscular diseases are a prevalent cause of prolonged and severe suffering for patients, and with the global population aging, it is increasingly becoming a pressing concern. To assess muscle activity in NMDs, clinicians and researchers typically use electromyography (EMG), which can be either non-invasive using surface EMG, or invasive through needle EMG. Surface EMG signals have a low spatial resolution, and while the needle EMG provides a higher resolution, it can be painful for the patients, with an additional risk of infection. The pain associated with the needle EMG can pose a risk for certain patient groups, such as children. For example, children with spinal muscular atrophy (type of NMD) require regular monitoring of treatment efficacy through needle EMG; however, due to the pain caused by the procedure, clinicians often rely on a clinical assessment rather than needle EMG. Magnetomyography (MMG), the magnetic counterpart of the EMG, measures muscle activity non-invasively using magnetic signals. With super-resolution capabilities, MMG has the potential to improve spatial resolution and, in the meantime, address the limitations of EMG. This article discusses the challenges in developing magnetic sensors for MMG, including sensor design and technology advancements that allow for more specific recordings, targeting of individual motor units, and reduction of magnetic noise. In addition, we cover the motor unit behavior and activation pattern, an overview of magnetic sensing technologies, and evaluations of wearable, non-invasive magnetic sensors for MMG.
神经肌肉疾病是导致患者长期遭受严重痛苦的常见原因，随着全球人口老龄化，这一问题日益成为紧迫的关注点。为了评估神经肌肉疾病中的肌肉活动，临床医生和研究人员通常使用肌电图（EMG），它可以是非侵入性的表面肌电图，也可以是通过针电极肌电图进行侵入性检测。表面肌电图信号的空间分辨率较低，而针电极肌电图虽然能提供更高的分辨率，但对患者来说可能很痛苦，且有额外的感染风险。与针电极肌电图相关的疼痛可能会给某些患者群体带来风险，比如儿童。例如，患有脊髓性肌萎缩症（一种神经肌肉疾病类型）的儿童需要通过针电极肌电图定期监测治疗效果；然而，由于该检查带来的疼痛，临床医生常常依赖临床评估而非针电极肌电图。磁肌电图（MMG）是肌电图的磁性对应物，它利用磁信号非侵入性地测量肌肉活动。凭借超分辨率能力，磁肌电图有潜力提高空间分辨率，同时解决肌电图的局限性。本文讨论了为磁肌电图开发磁传感器所面临的挑战，包括传感器设计和技术进步，这些进步能够实现更精确的记录、针对单个运动单位以及降低磁噪声。此外，我们还涵盖了运动单位行为和激活模式、磁传感技术概述以及用于磁肌电图的可穿戴非侵入性磁传感器的评估。
