Authors:
Mafalda Camara
1
;
Mamede de Carvalho
2
;
Tiago Araújo
3
;
Hugo Gamboa
4
and
Carla Quintão
5
Affiliations:
1
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia and Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
;
2
Faculty of Medicine and University of Lisbon, Portugal
;
3
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa and PLUX - Wireless Biosignals, Portugal
;
4
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculty of Medicine and University of Lisbon, Portugal
;
5
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculty of Sciences and University of Lisbon, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Contra and Ipsilateral, Coherence, Beta-band, Phase Locking Factor (PLF), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS), Electromyography (EMG).
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Applications and Services
;
Artificial Intelligence
;
Biomedical Engineering
;
Biomedical Signal Processing
;
Computational Intelligence
;
Computer Vision, Visualization and Computer Graphics
;
Health Engineering and Technology Applications
;
Human-Computer Interaction
;
Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics
;
Medical Image Detection, Acquisition, Analysis and Processing
;
Methodologies and Methods
;
Neural Networks
;
Neurocomputing
;
Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics
;
Pattern Recognition
;
Physiological Computing Systems
;
Sensor Networks
;
Signal Processing
;
Signal Processing, Sensors, Systems Modeling and Control
;
Soft Computing
;
Theory and Methods
;
Time and Frequency Response
;
Time-Frequency Analysis
Abstract:
In motor neuron disease, the aim of therapy is to prevent or slow neuronal degeneration and early diagnosis
is thus essential. Hypothesising that beta-band (1530 Hz) is a measure of pathways integrity as shown
in literature, coherence and phase locking factor (PLF) could be used as an electrophysiological indicator
of upper and lower neuron integrity in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this work are
applied such tools in different variable situations. Coherence and PLF analysis was computed for EMG signals
registered from 2 groups: control subjects and ALS patients. The data was recorded during instants of steady
contraction for both contra and ipsilateral acquisitions. Ipsilateral coherence and PLF was computed for one
member of each group and results present significant differences between both groups. Contrarily, contralateral
acquisitions were performed on 6 members of each group and both coherence and PLF results present no
significant differences. So, whi
le control subjects present no neuronal or muscular disorders and therefore
higher synchrony and coherence for beta-band EMG signals, patients with ALS do not present synchronism
or coherence in any frequency, specially for beta-band. All results allowed to conclude that contralateral
coherence is not a good measure of corticospinal pathways integrity. However, ipsilateral acquisitions show
promising results and it is possible to affirm that ipsilateral measurements may reflect neuronal degeneration.
For future work is suggested a deeper analysis of PLF, that appear to have potential as a quantitative test of
upper and lower neuron integrity related to ALS.
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