SE07EHT · Ultra fast Ultrasonography: Novel investigation of the Neuromuscular System

Project summary
Advances in medical imaging technology have led to the commercialisation of ultra fast ultrasound (UFUS) devices, which allow the collection of ultrasound (US) data at rates up to 40,000 frames per second (fps). To date, members of the supervisory team have led significant innovations in standard frame rate US analysis of large muscle activations; the smallest movements associated with postural control and detection of involuntary twitches associated with disease. There is significant potential to lead innovation in the application of UFUS technology to non-invasively quantify neuro-musculoskeletal properties and study changes which result from aging, injury, disease and repair and the functional interface between physiological and mechanical tissue properties. Such characterisation will enable responses to therapeutic and rehabilitative interventions to be quantified, providing a novel means of evaluating efficacy. As such the technology has the potential to stimulate advanced developments of accurate (and potentially patient specific) biomechanical, physiological and neuromuscular models. The studentship will underpin the fundamental development of this work by identifying: i) to what level the fine-grained patterns of motor unit activation can be quantified; ii) what features of the spatial organisation of motor units within the muscle volume can be quantified; iii) how these characteristics differ across clinical groups.

Project aims and objectives
1.Refinement of current mathematical and computational techniques for the detection and tracking of muscle tissue displacement in high frame rate sonographic images
2.Development of new analytical techniques to quantify the relationship between activation and muscle tissue displacement
3.Investigation of the simultaneous use of surface EMG and sonic imaging to quantify the mechanical transmission of electrophysiological activation (activation-displacement dynamics)
4.Quantification of differences in activation-displacement dynamics in different populations, for example; younger (18-35) and older (65+) adults; clinical population (e.g. neurodegenerative disease sufferers); competitive athletes (e.g. cyclists).
Specific requirements of the project
Essential skills: Strong mathematical and computational skills, including experience in analytical mathematics packages (i.e. MATLAB, Mathematica or R)

Desirable skills: Medical image analysis, C/C++ programming skills

Full training will be given on basic muscle physiology and sonographic imaging, including the range of analysis techniques currently available in our lab.