Abstract #3734

Concurrent Electromyography Guided FMRI Analysis to Improve Detection and Reduce Inter-Session Variability of the Measured Cortical Response to Ankle Dorsiflexion

Samia Aboushoushah¹, Xia Lin², Richard Bowtell¹, Margaret Phillips², Cris Constantinescu³, Susan Francis¹

¹School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; ²Division of Rehabilitation and ageing, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; ³Division of Clinical Neurology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

This work assesses the use of electromyography (EMG) guided analysis of fMRI data in the study of the cortical response to ankle dorsiflexion (ADF) movements. The quality of the EMG signal in the MR environment has been assessed, and EMG-guided analysis compared to conventional analysis for the study of active, passive and electrical stimulation induced ADF movements in healthy volunteers. Reproducibility of fMRI responses for each ADF movement were compared across sessions. The methods described serve as proof of principle for the study of cortical changes following a longitudinal course of FES therapy in patients with MS and stroke.