High-density EMG reveals atypical spatial activation of the gastrocnemius during walking in adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) exhibit less-selective, simplified muscle activation during gait due to injury of the developing brain. Abnormal motor unit recruitment, altered excitation-inhibition balance, and muscle morphological changes all affect the CP electromyogram. High-density surface el...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of electromyography and kinesiology 2024-12, Vol.79, p.102934, Article 102934
Main Authors: Thurston, Maxwell, Peltoniemi, Mika, Giangrande, Alessandra, Vujaklija, Ivan, Botter, Alberto, Kulmala, Juha-Pekka, Piitulainen, Harri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Cerebral Palsy - physiopathology
Child
Electromyography - methods
Female
Gait - physiology
Humans
Male
Muscle Contraction - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology
Walking - physiology
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Summary:Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) exhibit less-selective, simplified muscle activation during gait due to injury of the developing brain. Abnormal motor unit recruitment, altered excitation-inhibition balance, and muscle morphological changes all affect the CP electromyogram. High-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) has potential to reveal novel manifestations of CP neuromuscular pathology and functional deficits by assessing spatiotemporal details of myoelectric activity. We used HDsEMG to investigate spatial-EMG distribution and temporal-EMG complexity of gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle during treadmill walking in 11 adolescents with CP and 11 typically developed (TD) adolescents. Our results reveal more-uniform spatial-EMG amplitude distribution across the GM in adolescents with CP, compared to distal emphasis in TD adolescents. More-uniform spatial-EMG was associated with stronger ankle co-contraction and spasticity. CP adolescents exhibited a non-significant trend towards elevated EMG-temporal complexity. Homogenous spatial distribution and disordered temporal evolution of myoelectric activity in CP suggests less-structured and desynchronized recruitment of GM motor units, in combination with muscle morphological changes. Using HDsEMG, we uncovered novel evidence of atypical spatiotemporal activation during gait in CP, opening paths towards deeper understanding of motor control deficits and better characterization of changes in muscular activation from interventions.
ISSN:1050-6411
1873-5711
1873-5711
DOI:10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102934