Feasibility of surface EMG recordings in MND
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sequential surface EMG recordings in motor neuron disease: fasciculations as a biomarker of motor neuron health
IRAS ID
185398
Contact name
Chris Shaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
In this preliminary study we plan to use commercially available surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors to record fasciculations at rest in patients with motor neurone disease (MND). During monthly assessments over a six month period, we will simultaneously record up to four pairs of muscles per patient for a one-hour period. We will record the site, frequency and morphology of fasciculations to indicate the health of motor neurons. This data will be compared with data that are routinely recorded to monitor disease progression, including clinical neurological examination, lung function tests and a questionnaire grading disability in performing tasks of daily living (Revised MND functional rating scale). In addition to patient survival, these are the standard tools used to assess the efficacy of potential drug therapies in clinical trials. We predict that the monitoring of fasciculations in this way might provide a more sensitive measure of disease progression in an individual and that this might be used to assess the impact of a potential drug therapy by slowing the regional spread and/or frequency of fasciculations. Moreover, this technique should provide us with more precise details regarding the natural history of this progressive disease, which may help to accelerate the process of drug discovery.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
15/NS/0103
Date of REC Opinion
6 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion