Decoding Motor Unit Activity From Forearm Muscles: Perspectives for Myoelectric Control

We prove the feasibility of decomposing high density surface EMG signals from forearm muscles in non-isometric wrist motor tasks of normally limbed and limb-deficient individuals with the perspective of using the decoded neural information for prosthesis control. For this purpose, we recorded surface EMG signals during motions of three degrees of freedom of the wrist in seven normally limbed subjects and two patients with limb deficiency. The signals were decomposed into individual motor unit activity with a convolutive blind source separation algorithm. On average, for each subject, 16 ± 7 motor units were identified per motor task. The discharge timings of these motor units were estimated with an accuracy > 85%. Moreover, the activity of 6 ± 5 motor units per motor task was consistently detected in all repetitions of the same task. The joint angle at which motor units were first identified was 62.5 ± 26.4% of the range of motion, indicating a prevalence in the identification of high threshold motor units. These findings prove the feasibility of accurate identification of the neural drive to muscles in contractions relevant for myoelectric control, allowing the development of a new generation of myocontrol methods based on motor unit spike trains.