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Published on: June 16, 2022
Mathematically modeling the effects of electrically stimulating skeletal muscle
J B Davidson1, J Kim, L K Cheng
1Bioeng. Inst., Auckland Univ., New Zealand.
Summary
This study presents a computational model for skeletal muscle activation, crucial for functional electrical stimulation research. The model accurately simulates nerve and muscle responses, validating its potential for future applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computational Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Functional electrical stimulation (FES) requires accurate models of skeletal muscle activation.
- Existing models may lack integration with detailed anatomical structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a computational framework for modeling skeletal muscle activation.
- To integrate cellular-level muscle models with anatomical finite element models.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mathematical model of skeletal muscle cellular responses.
- Integrated the cellular model with a finite element model of the sheep semitendinosus muscle.
- Modeled the tibial nerve using the Hodgkin-Huxley neural model based on CT scans.
Main Results:
- Solved cellular equations over the integrated nerve and muscle geometries.
- Obtained results for action potential propagation speed and twitch force duration.
- Validated model outputs against published experimental values.
Conclusions:
- The developed framework provides a validated approach for modeling skeletal muscle activation.
- This integrated model is suitable for studying functional electrical stimulation.
- The model accurately predicts key physiological parameters of nerve and muscle response.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Motor Unit Stimulation
When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
01:22Muscle Stimulation Frequency
The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
01:24Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles
Every cell in the body maintains a membrane potential due to an uneven distribution of positive and negative charges across its plasma membrane. The membrane potential is measured in millivolts and quantifies the difference in charge across the membrane.
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...
01:14Design Example: Frog Muscle Response
A student is tasked to work on an intriguing experiment involving an RL (Resistor-Inductor) circuit to study the muscle response of a frog's leg to electrical stimulation. The RL circuit plays a crucial role in this experiment, providing the means to control and measure the electrical impulses that trigger muscle contraction.
When the switch connecting the RL circuit is closed, a brief muscle contraction is observed. This is because, at a steady state, the inductor acts like a short circuit,...
When the switch connecting the RL circuit is closed, a brief muscle contraction is observed. This is because, at a steady state, the inductor acts like a short circuit,...
01:20Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles
Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
When an action potential...
When an action potential...