Surface Potential Quantification Engine (SPiQE) is the brainchild of a collaboration between neurologists at King’s College London and bioengineers at Imperial College London. It combines the very latest in surface electrode technology with sophisticated spike-detection software.
SPiQE functions as an automated analytical pipeline for the detection of spontaneous and voluntary muscle activity. It is non-invasive and well-tolerated by patients. Importantly, this means muscle recordings can be longer than ever before and can be repeated at regular time intervals.
In our clinical trials so far, we have focussed on the analysis of fasciculations in motor neuron disease to learn more about this devastating illness.
What is motor neuron disease (MND)?
Motor neuron disease causes progressive neurological weakness. It can affect walking, arm function, speech, swallowing and breathing – in any order and at varying speeds. One in 350 people will develop the disease at some point in their lifetime with 1200 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year.
There remains no cure.
How can SPiQE help?
There is an urgent need to learn more about the way motor neurons degenerate, so that potential new therapies can be developed and tested. The search for new disease biomarkers, which can track disease progression, is a key research avenue.
Research Themes
How do we approach the study of biomarkers?
The focus of our research is on the development and validation of novel biomarkers of motor neuron disease (MND). We approach this by investigating the electrical properties of nerves and muscles at different stages of disease, often assessing patients at multiple timepoints throughout their disease. This provides the data required to understand the natural course of the disease process.
In our most recent studies, we are focusing on making the diagnosis of MND as early as possible as well as tracking response to treatments in patients’ homes.
Results from our research into fasciculations
We have applied the SPiQE algorithm to determine its clinical utility in MND, showing that a fasciculation frequency above 14/min in biceps brachii is a promising diagnostic aid in MND, while the rate of change of fasciculation frequency can forecast the aggressiveness of the disease.
By tracking MND patients over the course of one year, we provided evidence of a ‘rise and fall’ pattern of fasciculation firing, which is best explained by a complex interplay between neuronal hyperexcitability, axonal loss and muscle fibre reinnervation. These data indicate the viability of fasciculation parameters as biomarkers of disease in MND.
Surface sensors: What is high-density surface electromyography?
SPiQE is based on muscle recordings captured by high-density surface electromyography (or ‘HDSEMG’ for short). This relatively modern technique has many advantages over alternative, more traditional methods like needle electromyography.
- It's non-invasive and painless
- It can be repeated on multiple occasions for longer durations
- It provides enriched spatial information
Arranged in a grid, up to 64 channels simultaneously record the underlying muscle activity. It’s like multiple eyes watching from slightly different angles, building up a comprehensive 3D picture of the electrical changes taking place. This is what makes HDSEMG so powerful.
