JPH0332369B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a device for detecting neuromuscular junction distribution by multi-point myoelectric potential measurement.

[Prior Art] Generally, various movements in the human body are performed by the expansion and contraction of various muscles, and the expansion and contraction of these muscles is caused by impulses transmitted from motor nerves to muscle fibers. The motor nerves that transmit the above-mentioned impulses connect with muscle fibers at certain locations, and these locations are called neuromuscular junctions. Therefore, investigating the location of these neuromuscular junctions and the state of their distribution is important in the diagnosis of various neuromuscular diseases, etc., but conventionally, it has been difficult to stain muscle specimens extracted from living organisms. However, there was no means to easily detect the position of neuromuscular junctions in muscle fibers in living organisms.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] A technical problem of the present invention is to provide a detection device that can extremely easily detect the position of a neuromuscular junction in a muscle in a living body.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the neuromuscular junction distribution detection device of the present invention should be attached to the skin surface on the muscle along the muscle fiber direction and the direction perpendicular thereto. A large number of myoelectric potential signal detection electrodes arranged in a grid pattern and myoelectric potential signals detected by these electrodes are subjected to analysis processing to detect the neuromuscular junction where myoelectric potential first occurs in the muscle fibers of the muscle. The apparatus includes an analysis processing device and a display device that displays the distribution of neuromuscular junctions in relation to muscles based on the results of the analysis processing.

[Function] Such a neuromuscular junction distribution detection device attaches a large number of myoelectric potential signal detection electrodes arranged in a grid pattern to the skin surface above the muscles, and analyzes and processes the myoelectric potential signals detected by the electrodes. The neuromuscular junction where the myoelectric potential first occurs is detected, and based on the results, the distribution of the neuromuscular junction in relation to the muscles is displayed on a display device.

According to this neuromuscular junction distribution detection device, simply by attaching a large number of myoelectric potential detection electrodes to the skin surface,
Neuromuscular junction distribution in muscles can be detected simply and easily with little pain to the subject.

[Example] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 is an arm exemplified as a site with muscles to be measured, and generally, the muscle fibers of these muscles 2 are connected to a neuromuscular junction 3 as shown in Fig. 2. It is connected to motor nerve 4 at.

Electrode group 11 attached to the skin surface 5 of the arm 1
This is a structure in which a large number of myoelectric potential detection electrodes 12 arranged in a horizontal and vertical grid are arranged in parallel on a flexible substrate 13, and each row of these electrodes 12 is arranged in a direction along the muscle fibers. , and are also arranged in a direction perpendicular to it. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the electrodes 12 is connected to an amplifier 15 by a connecting wire 14, and the output end of the amplifier 15 is connected to a display device via an analysis processing device.

The analysis processing device performs analysis processing on the signal sent from the amplifier 15 to detect the point at which a myoelectric potential is first generated in the muscle fiber of the muscle 2 to be measured, that is, the neuromuscular junction, for example. It is configured to perform cross-correlation processing between signals of adjacent electrodes. Further, the display device connected to the next stage is configured to display, for example, the position (distribution) of the neuromuscular junction 3 in relation to the muscle 2 based on the result of the analysis process.

When arm 1 is equipped with such a device and force is applied to muscle 2, a potential corresponding to the degree of activity of muscle 2 will propagate from the neuromuscular junction 3 along the muscle fibers to both sides of each muscle. Occurs in the body part. Therefore, in each of the electrodes 12 attached to the skin surface 5 on the muscle 2, those close to the neuromuscular junction 3 have approximately the same behavior at an earlier point in time, and those farther away have approximately the same behavior at a later time. A myoelectric potential whose potential waveform changes is detected. The myoelectric potential signal detected in this way is amplified by the amplifier 15 and then input to the analysis processing device, where the desired analysis processing is performed to determine the position of the neuromuscular junction 3 as an electrical signal. The signal is detected and transmitted to a subsequent display device, which displays the position of the neuromuscular junction in relation to the muscle being measured.

Figure 3 shows an example of myoelectric potential signal groups from one row of electrodes consisting of 12 electrodes along muscle fibers in actual measurements, and shows the muscle potential signals in these signal groups. The starting point of the signal, that is, the muscle fiber junction, is located at the intersection of the lines connecting the potential peak points.

In the case of FIG. 3, it is confirmed that there are neuromuscular junctions at two locations.

FIG. 4 shows the distribution of neuromuscular junctions obtained by another measurement example. In this case, four rows of electrode groups A to D, each consisting of 25 electrodes, are pasted on the skin surface above the muscle 6 in the direction of the muscle fibers, and the neuromuscular junction is located at the shaded area in the figure. was confirmed to be distributed.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, by simply attaching a large number of myoelectric potential detection electrodes to the skin surface,
The position of a neuromuscular junction in a muscle in a living body can be detected and displayed extremely simply and without causing any pain to the subject.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state of the embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram thereof, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an amplifier output, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display by a display device. 2, 6...muscle, 5...skin surface, 12...electrode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A large number of myoelectric potential signal detection electrodes arranged in a grid pattern to be attached to the skin surface of the muscle along the muscle fiber direction and a direction perpendicular thereto, and the myoelectric potential signals detected by these electrodes are An analysis processing device that performs analysis processing to detect the neuromuscular junction where a myoelectric potential is first generated in a fiber, and a display that displays the distribution of the neuromuscular junction in relation to the muscle based on the results of the analysis processing. What is claimed is: 1. A device for detecting neuromuscular junction distribution by multi-point myoelectric potential measurement, comprising: