Repeated Measurement of Respiratory Muscle Activity and Ventilation in Mouse Models of Neuromuscular Disease

The overall goal of this procedure is to repeatedly measure respiratory muscle activity and ventilation throughout disease progression. Following the surgical implantation of a telemetry device with electromyography leads inserted into selected muscles. This method can be used to answer key questions about how accessory respiratory muscles compensate for impaired diaphragm function following disease or injury.

The main advantage of this technique is that ventilation and respiratory muscle activity can be measured on the same freely behaving mouse throughout disease progression. This method can provide insight into diagonsis and treatment of ALS, but can also be applied to other models of neuromuscular disease or spinal cord injury. Begin by preparing the EMG electroleads.