A telemetry system to chronically record muscle activity in middle-sized animals

Abstract

Radio-telemetry enables the long-term recordings of biopotentials that may be obtained in freely moving animals without interference by the experimenter. The purpose of this study was to test a fully implantable device for: (1) its transmission range; (2) the characteristics of the transmitted signals; and (3) its actual application in long-term in vivo registration of EMG. Transmission range was tested by changing the device's position relative to the receiver. Computer simulation of the filtering characteristics provided comparison of original and transmitted signals. Implantation of the device in masticatory muscles, followed by analysis of telemetred signals and determination of activity levels allowed for examination of daily muscle use. The implant's transmission range covered the cage size for middle-sized animals with a minimum of signal dropouts. Transmitted signals were marked by (partial) loss of frequencies beyond 50 Hz, decreased amplitude and slightly delayed timing relative to original waveforms. Analysis of the transmitted EMG revealed that the device can be used for prolonged in vivo EMG registration, detection of peak activity levels, and the examination of general muscle use by the time spent at different levels of activity.