Personalized mapping of inhibitory spinal cord circuits in humans via noninvasive neural decoding and in silico modeling
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Studying human motoneuron activity through electromyography (EMG) can yield insights into the operation of fundamental spinal cord microcircuits. Traditional surface and needle EMG methodologies have limited capacity to shed light on the diversity of motor unit (MU) control strategies that may be unique to each individual. Here, we used high-density surface EMG (HDsEMG) to sample multiple MUs per participant to investigate the features of inhibitory spinal microcircuits in both upper and lower limb control. We characterized the net inhibition as a function of individual MU firing rates, revealing participant-specific relationships. In silico modeling replicated these experimental characteristics and suggested that properties of the inhibitory currents rather than motoneuron size are responsible for net functional inhibition. Our results show that HDsEMG can highlight distinct control strategies across circuits and motor pools, revealing participant-specific properties of inhibitory spinal microcircuits.
Source: Science Advances
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Awards: Circuit failures in primary dystonia: cells, synapses, and behaviour, Circuit failures in primary dystonia: cells, synapses, and behaviour, G7511898061, G7649920454, The contribution of spinal inhibitory circuits to aberrant excitability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, The contribution of spinal inhibitory circuits to aberrant excitability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
OpenAlex ID: W4414348070