CN117860274B - Device and method for measuring cramp of lower limb of small animal - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of myoelectric muscle strength measurement, and discloses a device and a method for measuring cramps of lower limbs of small animals, wherein the device comprises the following components: a bottom plate; the small animal fixing platform is fixed on the top end surface of the bottom plate; the ankle joint buckling applying mechanism is fixed on the top end surface of the bottom plate and positioned at the front side of the small animal fixing platform, and the driving end of the ankle joint buckling applying mechanism is fixed with the lower limb of the small animal; a pressure sensor fixed to the driving end of the ankle flexion imparting mechanism; the myoelectricity measuring electrode is fixed on the small animal fixing platform and is used for being fixed on a part to be detected of the small animal lower limb spasm; the controller is fixed on the top end surface of the bottom plate and used for data acquisition; the upper computer is electrically connected with the controller and used for data analysis. The device can objectively, quantitatively and repeatedly evaluate the spasticity degree of the small animals, realizes multi-mode sensing data acquisition of spasticity pressure and electromyographic signals, and can better provide objective and accurate experimental data for clinical application.

Description

Device and method for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of myoelectric muscle force measuring devices, and more particularly to a device and method for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals.

Background Art

Spasticity is a sensorimotor control disorder that is part of the upper motor neuron injury syndrome and is characterized by intermittent or persistent involuntary muscle contractions. It is characterized by velocity-dependent hypertonia and tendon hyperreflexia caused by stretch reflex hyperactivity. Clinically, spasticity is a common symptom of neurological diseases such as stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis. Patients show abnormal posture and movement patterns, which seriously hinder their recovery and reduce their quality of life.

Rodents are often used to make animal models of spasticity, such as the rat spinal cord injury spasticity model and the rat model of post-stroke spasticity. The study of the mechanism of spasticity depends on the measurement method that can detect the spastic behavior of the spasticity model animal. How to detect and accurately make quantitative assessments of spasticity in time when it occurs is the primary key issue to be solved in our animal research. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods of spasticity assessment can not only help us determine the degree of spasticity, but also make a more accurate comparison of the effects of spasticity treatment, thereby screening out clinically meaningful treatment plans.

Existing rodent spasticity measurements are usually measured through modified Ashworth scales and other subjective scales, which are highly dependent on the experimenter's feelings to a certain extent, and are inevitably mixed with some subjective understandings. Therefore, they cannot fully reflect the objective spasticity state of the muscles. At the same time, in animal studies, animals are often unable to cooperate with the subjective assessment steps, resulting in certain errors in the assessment of spasticity. Therefore, it is particularly important to provide a device and method for measuring lower limb spasticity in small animals suitable for animal experiments, and to correctly use objective and quantitative assessment methods and tools to provide more accurate evidence for models and intervention efficacy.

Summary of the invention

In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an experimental device and method for objectively, quantifiably and repeatably evaluating animal spasms. Based on the theoretical foundation that spasms are speed-dependent, the present invention fully automatically applies different rotation speeds to the ankle joints of awake animals through an external driving device, measures the peripheral muscle resistance of the lower limbs when the ankle joints are forced to flex, the resistance of the ankle joints to dorsiflexion and records the electromyography, thereby detecting the spasm component of the muscle resistance and realizing multimodal sensing detection and analysis of the spasm state. As a simple and effective experimental tool, the experimental device can be used to accurately and systematically evaluate the spasm state of small animals, meet the diversified needs of basic scientific research, and better provide objective and accurate laboratory data for clinical applications.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

A device for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals, comprising:

Base plate;

A small animal fixing platform, the small animal fixing platform is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate and is used to fix the small animal to be tested;

Ankle joint flexion applying mechanism, the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate and is located at the front side of the small animal fixing platform, the driving end on the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism is fixed to the lower limb of the small animal, and is used to apply different driving angles and driving speeds to the ankle joint of the small animal;

A pressure sensor, which is fixed to the driving end of the ankle flexion applying mechanism and is used to measure the magnitude of the spastic force of the lower limbs of the small animal;

An electromyographic measurement electrode is fixed on the small animal fixing platform and is used to be inserted and fixed on a part of the small animal's lower limb spasm to be detected to measure an electromyographic signal;

A controller, the controller is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate, and the controller is electrically connected to the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism, the pressure sensor, and the myoelectric measurement electrode;

A host computer is electrically connected to the controller.

Through the above technical solution, it can be known that compared with the prior art, the present invention discloses a device for measuring the spasm of the lower limbs of small animals. When used, the small animal to be tested is fixed on the small animal fixing platform, and then the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested are fixed on the driving end of the ankle flexion applying mechanism, and the electromyographic measurement electrode is fixed on the nerve on the lower limb of the small animal to be tested. Then the controller controls the ankle flexion applying mechanism to apply different driving angles to the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested at different speeds, so that the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested dorsiflexes. At the same time, the controller records the rotation angle of the ankle flexion applying mechanism and resolves the rotation angular velocity, and records the electrical signals transmitted by the pressure sensor and the electromyographic measurement electrode. After that, the controller transmits the above data to the host computer for processing and analysis, and can objectively display the degree of spasm. Therefore, the device has significant advantages over the existing method of judging the degree of spasm by relying on the main body, that is, the device can objectively, quantifiably and repeatedly evaluate the degree of spasm of small animals, and realizes the multimodal sensing data acquisition of spasm pressure and electromyographic signals, which can better provide objective and accurate laboratory data for clinical applications.

Furthermore, the small animal fixing platform comprises:

An up-and-down adjustment platform, wherein the up-and-down adjustment platform is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate;

A left-right adjustment platform, wherein the left-right adjustment platform is fixed to the up-down adjustment platform;

The front-to-back adjustment platform is fixed on the left-to-right adjustment platform, and the electromyographic measurement electrodes and the small animal to be measured are both fixed on the front-to-back adjustment platform.

The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are: the small animal fixing platform can adjust the small animal's up and down, left and right, front and back positions, that is, the relative position of the small animal to be tested and the ankle flexion applying mechanism can be adjusted, so that the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested can be easily fixed to the driving end of the ankle flexion applying mechanism. Therefore, the small animal fixing platform of the device is highly flexible, and the relative position of the small animal fixing platform and the ankle flexion applying mechanism can be adjusted at will according to the size of the small animal to be tested and the different parts to be tested, so as to achieve the convenience of measurement and the wide range of objects to be tested, so that the device can meet the diversified needs of basic scientific research.

Furthermore, the up and down adjustment platform includes:

Support pillars, the support pillars are multiple, and the bottom ends of the support pillars are evenly distributed and fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate;

The up-and-down movable plate is slidably mounted on a plurality of the pillars, and the left-and-right adjustment platform is fixed on the top end surface of the up-and-down movable plate.

Furthermore, multiple up-and-down movable ear plates are fixed on both side surfaces of the up-and-down movable plate, a sliding mounting hole is opened on the top surface of each of the up-and-down movable ear plates, and a first tightening screw is screwed on the side end of each of the up-and-down movable ear plates. The sliding mounting holes are penetrated on the pillar, and the tail end of the first tightening screw is in tight contact with the side wall of the pillar.

The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that when the vertical height position of the small animal to be tested needs to be adjusted, the first tightening screw is loosened, and then the vertical movable plate is moved up and down to a suitable position, and then the first tightening screw is tightened, so that the tail end of the first tightening screw is in tight contact with the side wall of the pillar, thereby achieving the fixation of the vertical movable plate. The structure is simple and easy to operate.

Furthermore, the left and right adjustment platform includes:

Left and right slide rails, the left and right slide rails are two rails fixed at intervals on the top surface of the up and down moving plate;

A left-right movable slide, both sides of which are respectively slidably connected to the two left-right slide rails, and the front-rear adjustment platform is fixed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide.

Furthermore, left and right sliding holes are provided on the top end surfaces of the two left and right sliding guide rails, left and right sliding gaps are formed between the bottom end surfaces of the two left and right sliding guide rails and the top end surfaces of the upper and lower movable plates, left and right movable ear plates are fixed on both sides of the left and right movable slides, and the left and right movable ear plates are slidably placed in the left and right sliding gaps, and the first screw holes on the two left and right movable ear plates are screwed with first fixing screws, and the screw rods of the first fixing screws are passed through the left and right sliding holes.

The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that when the left and right positions of the small animal to be tested need to be adjusted, the first fixing screw is first loosened, and then the left and right movable slide is moved to a suitable position, and then the first fixing screw is tightened, and then the position of the left and right movable slide is fixed by the first fixing screw. The structure is simple and easy to operate.

Furthermore, the front and rear adjustment platform includes:

A front-to-back movable plate, the front-to-back movable plate is placed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide, two front-to-back sliding holes are arranged at intervals on the front-to-back movable plate, and the electromyographic measurement electrodes and the small animal to be measured are both fixed on the front-to-back movable plate;

The second fixing screws are multiple, and the screw rods thereof are passed through the corresponding front and rear sliding holes. The multiple second fixing screws are all threadedly connected with the second screw holes on the top surface of the left and right movable slide table.

The beneficial effect of adopting the above technical solution is that when the left and right positions of the small animal to be tested need to be adjusted, the second fixing screw is first loosened, and then the front and rear movable plate is moved forward and backward to a suitable position, and then the second fixing screw is tightened, and the position of the front and rear movable plate is fixed by the second fixing screw. The structure is simple and easy to operate.

Furthermore, a plurality of trunk straps and lower limb straps for binding and fixing the trunk and lower limbs of the small animal to be tested are installed on the front-rear movable plate, and the electromyographic measurement electrodes are arranged close to the lower limb straps.

The beneficial effect of adopting the above technical solution is: the trunk and lower limbs of the small animal to be tested are fixed by the trunk strap and the lower limb strap, so as to avoid the small animal to be tested moving around randomly during the test and causing inaccurate test results.

Furthermore, the electromyography measurement electrode comprises:

An electrode bracket, the bottom end of which is fixed to the front-rear movable plate and arranged close to the lower limb bandage;

A supporting cross bar, one end of which is fixedly connected to the top of the electrode bracket, and an outer wall of the supporting cross bar near the other end thereof is provided with an external thread section;

An electrode fixing plate, a connecting rod is fixed on one side of the electrode fixing plate, an adjusting nut is fixed on the rod end of the connecting rod away from the electrode fixing plate, the adjusting nut is threadedly connected with the external thread section, two electrode mounting holes are provided on the electrode fixing plate, and two second tightening screws are threadedly connected to the electrode fixing plate;

Detection electrodes, there are two detection electrodes, which are respectively inserted into the two electrode mounting holes, the tail end of the second tightening screw is in tight contact with the detection electrode, the detection electrode is electrically connected to the controller, and the detection electrode is used to be inserted and fixed in the to-be-detected part of the lower limb spasm of the small animal to measure the electromyographic signal.

The beneficial effect of adopting the above technical solution is that the height of the detection electrode can be adjusted by loosening the second tightening screw, and the insertion angle of the detection electrode can be adjusted by turning the adjusting nut, that is, the device can adjust the position and posture of the detection electrode through the second tightening screw and the adjusting nut, so that the detection electrode can be better and more quickly inserted into the detection site of the lower limb spasm of the small animal to be tested, and the accuracy of the detection electrode and the lower limb to be tested site is improved.

Furthermore, the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism comprises:

A motor, wherein the motor is fixed to the top surface of the bottom plate through a bracket, an angle sensor is installed on the output shaft of the motor, and the motor and the angle sensor are both electrically connected to the controller;

Ankle flexion applying swing rod, the ankle flexion applying swing rod is the driving end, one end surface of which is provided with a plug hole plugged with the output shaft of the motor, a first connecting screw is screwed on a position near one end of the ankle flexion applying swing rod, and the tail end of the first connecting screw is threadedly connected to the threaded hole on the output shaft of the motor; a pressure sensor installation groove is provided on the other end of the ankle flexion applying swing rod, a second connecting screw is screwed on a position near the other end of the ankle flexion applying swing rod, the pressure sensor is installed in the pressure sensor installation groove, and the tail end of the second connecting screw is threadedly connected to the threaded hole on the pressure sensor;

A lower limb fixing plate, one side of which is fixedly connected to the detection end of the pressure sensor, and the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested are fixed on the other side of the lower limb fixing plate.

The beneficial effects of adopting the above technical solution are: the angle sensor can measure the rotation angle of the motor and calculate the rotation angular velocity and upload it to the host computer through the controller, providing relevant data support for spasms; and the lower limb fixation plate can realize the transmission of the spasm force of the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested, that is, it can be transmitted to the pressure sensor, thereby realizing the detection of the spasm force of the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested.

The present invention provides a method for measuring the cramps of lower limbs of small animals. The device for measuring the cramps of lower limbs of small animals is used to perform the following testing steps:

Step 1: Fix the small animal to be tested on the small animal fixing platform;

Step 2: Then fix the lower limb of the small animal to be tested on the driving end of the ankle flexion application mechanism, and fix the electromyographic measurement electrode on the nerve on the lower limb of the small animal to be tested;

Step 3: The controller then controls the ankle flexion applying mechanism to apply different driving angles to the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested at different speeds, so that the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested is dorsiflexed. At the same time, the controller records the rotation angle of the ankle flexion applying mechanism and calculates the rotation angular velocity, and records the electrical signals transmitted by the pressure sensor and the electromyography measurement electrode. The controller then transmits the above data to the host computer for processing and analysis.

Furthermore, in step 1, the small animal fixing platform can adjust the up-down, left-right, front-back position of the small animal, so that the relative position of the small animal to be tested and the ankle flexion applying mechanism can be adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals provided by the present invention from a first viewing angle.

FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals provided by the present invention from a second viewing angle.

FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for measuring lower limb spasm of small animals provided by the present invention from a third viewing angle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a small animal fixing platform.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the left-right movable slide.

FIG. 6 is a perspective structural diagram of a swing arm for applying ankle flexion.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electromyography measurement electrode.

8 is a graph showing the experimental results of comparing gastrocnemius electromyography and foot dorsiflexion resistance in different rats with ankle rotation and twisting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Because the traditional evaluation of spasm relies on subjective scale rating, while the present invention relies on giving a certain rotation speed to stimulate spasm, and then objectively evaluates through plantar resistance (pressure sensor) + electromyographic signal. Compared with the traditional subjective rough grading, the present invention quantifies the data specifically and accurately, that is, directly displays the degree of spasm objectively by measuring the electromyographic value and rotational dorsiflexion resistance under spasm. It is a supplement to the subjective scale and is a new device and method for reacting and measuring spasm.

The following focuses on some embodiments of the device for measuring lower limb spasticity in small animals according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the present invention discloses a device for detecting lower limb spasm of a small animal, comprising:

Bottom plate 1;

A small animal fixing platform 2, which is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 1 and is used to fix the small animal to be tested;

Ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3, the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3 is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 1 and is located on the front side of the small animal fixing platform 2, the driving end of the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3 is fixed to the lower limb of the small animal, and is used to apply different driving angles and driving speeds to the ankle joint of the small animal;

A pressure sensor 4, which is fixed to the driving end of the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3 and is used to measure the magnitude of the spastic force of the lower limbs of the small animal;

The myoelectric measurement electrode 5 is fixed on the small animal fixing platform 2 and is used to be inserted and fixed on the part to be detected of the lower limb spasm of the small animal to measure the myoelectric signal;

A controller 6, which is fixed on the top surface of the base plate 1, and is electrically connected to the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3, the pressure sensor 4, and the myoelectric measurement electrode 5;

The host computer 7 is electrically connected to the controller 6 .

Specifically, the present invention provides a specific structural embodiment of a small animal fixing platform 2, which includes:

The up-down adjustment platform 21 is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 1;

A left and right adjustment platform 22, the left and right adjustment platform 22 is fixed on the upper and lower adjustment platform 21;

The front-to-back adjustment platform 23 is fixed on the left-to-right adjustment platform 22 , and the electromyographic measurement electrodes 5 and the small animal to be measured are both fixed on the front-to-back adjustment platform 23 .

The up and down adjustment platform 21 comprises:

Support pillars 211, there are multiple support pillars 211, and the bottom ends of the support pillars 211 are evenly distributed and fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 1;

The up-and-down movable plate 212 is slidably mounted on a plurality of pillars 211 , and the left-and-right adjustment platform 22 is fixed on the top surface of the up-and-down movable plate 212 .

Multiple up-and-down moving ear plates 2121 are fixed on both side surfaces of the up-and-down moving plate 212, a sliding mounting hole 21211 is opened on the top surface of each up-and-down moving ear plate 2121, and a first tightening screw 213 is screwed on the side end of each up-and-down moving ear plate 2121, the sliding mounting hole 21211 is penetrated on the pillar 211, and the tail end of the first tightening screw 213 is in tight contact with the side wall of the pillar 211.

The left and right adjustment platforms 22 include:

Left and right slide rails 221, the left and right slide rails 221 are two rails fixed at intervals on the top surface of the up and down moving plate 212;

The left-right movable slide 222 has two sides that are slidably connected to two left-right slide rails 221 , and the front-rear adjustment platform 23 is fixed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide 222 .

Left and right sliding holes 2211 are provided on the top end surfaces of the two left and right sliding guide rails 221, and left and right sliding gaps 2201 are formed between the bottom end surfaces of the two left and right sliding guide rails 221 and the top end surfaces of the upper and lower movable plates 212. Left and right movable ear plates 2221 are fixed on both sides of the left and right movable slide 222, and the left and right movable ear plates 2221 are slidably placed in the left and right sliding gaps 2201. The first screw holes 22211 on the two left and right movable ear plates 2221 are screwed with first fixing screws 223, and the screws of the first fixing screws 223 are both passed through the left and right sliding holes 2211.

The front and rear adjustment platform 23 comprises:

The front-to-back movable plate 231 is placed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide 222. Two front-to-back sliding holes 2311 are arranged on the front-to-back movable plate 231. The myoelectric measurement electrode 5 and the small animal to be measured are fixed on the front-to-back movable plate 231.

The second fixing screws 232 , there are multiple second fixing screws 232 , the screw rods of which are passed through the corresponding front and rear sliding holes 2311 , and the multiple second fixing screws 232 are all threadedly connected to the second screw holes 2222 on the top surface of the left and right movable slide table 222 .

A plurality of trunk straps 233 and lower limb straps 234 for binding and fixing the trunk and lower limbs of the small animal to be tested are installed on the front-rear movable plate 231 , and the electromyographic measurement electrodes 5 are arranged close to the lower limb straps 234 .

In the above embodiment, the small animal to be tested is fixed on the front and rear moving plate by the trunk strap and the lower limb strap, thereby achieving the fixation of the small animal to be tested, preventing the small animal to be tested from moving around during the test to affect the lower limb spasticity force and the collection of electromyographic signals. In addition, the above structure can flexibly adjust the relative posture position of the small animal and the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3 in the up-down, left-right, and front-back directions, so as to facilitate the spasticity measurement of small animals of different sizes and any of their lower limbs.

The present invention provides a structural embodiment of an electromyographic measurement electrode 5, which includes:

An electrode bracket 51, the bottom end of which is fixed on the front and rear movable plates 231 and arranged close to the lower limb straps 234;

A support cross bar 52, one end of which is fixedly connected to the top of the electrode bracket 51, and an outer wall of the support cross bar 52 near the other end thereof is provided with an external thread section;

The electrode fixing plate 53 has a connecting rod 531 fixed to one side of the electrode fixing plate 53. An adjusting nut 54 is fixed to the rod end of the connecting rod 531 away from the electrode fixing plate 53. The adjusting nut 54 is threadedly connected to the external thread section. Two electrode mounting holes 532 are provided on the electrode fixing plate 53. Two second tightening screws 55 are threadedly connected to the electrode fixing plate 53.

There are two detection electrodes 56, which are respectively inserted into the two electrode mounting holes 532. The tail end of the second tightening screw 55 is in tight contact with the detection electrode 56. The detection electrode 56 is electrically connected to the controller 6. The detection electrode 56 is used to be inserted and fixed in the part to be detected of the lower limb spasm of the small animal to measure the electromyographic signal.

The present invention provides a structural embodiment of an ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3, which includes:

The motor 31 is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 1 through a bracket 32. An angle sensor 33 is installed on the output shaft of the motor 31. The motor 31 and the angle sensor 33 are both electrically connected to the controller 6.

An ankle joint flexion applying swing rod 34, the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod 34 is a driving end, one end surface of which is provided with a plug hole 341 plugged with the output shaft of the motor 31, a first connecting screw 35 is screwed on a position near one end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod 34, and the tail end of the first connecting screw 35 is screwed with a threaded hole on the output shaft of the motor 31; a pressure sensor installation groove 342 is provided on the other end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod 34, a second connecting screw 36 is screwed on a position near the other end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod 34, the pressure sensor 4 is installed in the pressure sensor installation groove 342, and the tail end of the second connecting screw 36 is screwed with the threaded hole on the pressure sensor 4;

The lower limb fixing plate 37 has one side fixedly connected to the detection end of the pressure sensor 4 , and the lower limbs of the small animal to be tested can be tied or bonded to the other side of the lower limb fixing plate 37 .

In another embodiment, the bracket 32 may be fixed on a three-axis adjustment platform (not shown), so that the relative position between the small animal fixation platform 2 and the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism 3 can also be adjusted.

In the above embodiment, the controller is integrated with a control module and a power supply module, so that the device can be powered, controlled, and signal collected, analyzed, and transmitted. Specifically, the control module can control the rotation of the motor 31, collect the angle sensor 33 signal, collect the pressure sensor 4 signal, collect the detection electrode 56 signal, and process the collected signal and transmit it to the host computer 7.

The test steps of the method for measuring lower limb spasticity in small animals using the above device are as follows:

Step 1: Fix the small animal to be tested on the small animal fixing platform 2;

Step 2: Then fix the lower limb of the small animal to be tested on the driving end of the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3, and fix the myoelectric measurement electrode 5 on the nerve on the lower limb of the small animal to be tested;

Step 3: Then, the controller 6 controls the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3 to apply different driving angles to the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested at different speeds, so that the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested dorsiflexes. At the same time, the controller 6 records the rotation angle of the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3 and calculates the rotation angular velocity, and records the electrical signals transmitted by the pressure sensor 4 and the electromyography measurement electrode 5. Then, the controller 6 transmits the above data to the host computer 7 for processing and analysis.

Among them, in step 1, the small animal fixing platform 2 can adjust the small animal's up and down, left and right, front and back positions, so that the relative position of the small animal to be tested and the ankle flexion applying mechanism 3 can be adjusted.

Specifically,

First, a small animal with lower limb spasticity is fixed on the front-rear movable plate 231 by using a plurality of trunk straps 233 and lower limb straps 234; the height of the front-rear movable plate 231 is adjusted by the up-and-down movable plate 212, the left-and-right position of the front-and-rear movable plate 231 is adjusted by the left-and-right movable slide 222, and the front-and-rear position is adjusted by the front-and-back movable plate 231, so that the relative position of the small animal and the lower limb fixing plate 37 is adjusted to a suitable position, which facilitates the fixation of the lower limb of the small animal to the lower limb fixing plate 37; then the spastic lower limb to be detected is bonded and fixed on the lower limb fixing plate 37, and the detection electrode 56 is inserted into the nerve to be detected; then the controller 6 controls the motor 31 to rotate from one fixed angle to another fixed angle at different speeds, and simultaneously records the electrical signals transmitted by the angle sensor 33, the pressure sensor 4 and the detection electrode 56; by transmitting the above data to the host computer 7 and processing and analyzing them, the degree of spasticity can be objectively displayed.

Because muscle spasm is thought to be associated with a velocity-dependent increase in ankle resistance, it can be assessed by measuring the EMG activity of the gastrocnemius during ankle dorsiflexion controlled by a host computer. EMG (electromyogram) signals were recorded from the left gastrocnemius muscle during the same time period. To record the EMG activity, a pair of detection electrodes 56 were percutaneously inserted into the gastrocnemius muscle, with a spacing of approximately 1 cm. The EMG signals were bandpass filtered (100 Hz-10 kHz) and recorded before, during, and after ankle dorsiflexion. The EMG responses were recorded using an AC current-coupled differential amplifier. The EMG recording was performed simultaneously with the ankle resistance measurement, with a sampling rate of 1 kHz for both. The EMG data were collected using a BL-420n signal acquisition and processing system, and the muscle resistance was collected using a collector that was paired with a pressure sensor, and both were collected directly into the computer. Each recorded value is the average of three repetitions.

The ankle's resistance to dorsiflexion was measured at three different ankle rotation speeds (40°, 80°, and 400°/s). The gastrocnemius electromyography (EMG, as shown in A and B in Figure 8 ) and plantar resistance (as shown in C in Figure 8 ) of rats in each group were tested at three different speeds: 40°/s, 80°/s, and 400°/s. There were significant differences in EMG and resistance at different speeds (F (statistical variance) = 916.333, P (statistical significance) < 0.001; F = 789.746, P < 0.001); there were also statistical differences in the values of the two indicators between different groups (F = 910.640, P < 0.001; F = 405.085, P < 0.001); the interaction difference between groups and speed was statistically significant (F = 251.148, P < 0.001; F = 105.751, P < 0.001). Compared with the sham operation group, the EMG and dorsiflexion resistance of rats in the spasticity group were significantly increased when rotating the ankle knob at 80°/s and 400°/s (P<0.001, the smaller the P value, the greater the difference between the two groups), indicating that the rats had symptoms of muscle spasm; while the antispasmodic treatment group showed a significant downward trend compared with the model group (P<0.001, the smaller the P value, the greater the difference between the two groups). The results showed that antispasmodic treatment improved post-stroke muscle spasm and improved the increase in passive foot dorsiflexion resistance caused by spasticity.

The device of the present invention is feasible in measuring spasm, which is reflected in: 1. It can produce specific objective values; 2. It has stability, accuracy and repeatability within the same group; 3. It can meet experimental requirements.

In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (5)

1. A device for detecting lower limb spasms in small animals, comprising: Bottom plate (1); A small animal fixing platform (2), the small animal fixing platform (2) being fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate (1) and being used to fix the small animal to be tested; An ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3), the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3) being fixed on the top surface of the base plate (1) and being located at the front side of the small animal fixing platform (2), the driving end on the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3) being fixed to the lower limb of the small animal, and being used for applying different driving angles and driving speeds to the ankle joint of the small animal; A pressure sensor (4), the pressure sensor (4) being fixed to the driving end of the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3) and being used to measure the magnitude of the spastic force of the lower limbs of the small animal; an electromyographic measurement electrode (5), the electromyographic measurement electrode (5) being fixed on the small animal fixing platform (2) and being used for being inserted into and fixed at a part of the small animal's lower limb spasm to be detected, so as to measure an electromyographic signal; A controller (6), the controller (6) being fixed on the top surface of the base plate (1), the controller (6) being electrically connected to the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3), the pressure sensor (4), and the myoelectric measurement electrode (5); A host computer (7), the host computer (7) being electrically connected to the controller (6); The small animal fixing platform (2) comprises: An up-and-down adjustment platform (21), wherein the up-and-down adjustment platform (21) is fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate (1); A left-right adjustment platform (22), wherein the left-right adjustment platform (22) is fixed on the up-down adjustment platform (21); A front-to-back adjustment platform (23), wherein the front-to-back adjustment platform (23) is fixed on the left-to-right adjustment platform (22), and the electromyographic measurement electrodes (5) and the small animal to be measured are both fixed on the front-to-back adjustment platform (23); The up and down adjustment platform (21) comprises: Support pillars (211), the support pillars (211) being multiple in number, the bottom ends of which are evenly distributed and fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate (1); An up-and-down movable plate (212), the up-and-down movable plate (212) being slidably mounted on the plurality of pillars (211), and the left-and-right adjustment platform (22) being fixed on the top end surface of the up-and-down movable plate (212); A plurality of up-and-down moving ear plates (2121) are fixed on both side surfaces of the up-and-down moving plate (212), a sliding mounting hole (21211) is provided on the top surface of each of the up-and-down moving ear plates (2121), a first tightening screw (213) is screwed to the side end of each of the up-and-down moving ear plates (2121), the sliding mounting hole (21211) is penetrated on the pillar (211), and the tail end of the first tightening screw (213) is in tight contact with the side wall of the pillar (211); The left and right adjustment platform (22) comprises: Left and right slide rails (221), the left and right slide rails (221) being two rails fixed at intervals on the top surface of the up-and-down moving plate (212); A left-right movable slide (222), the two sides of the left-right movable slide (222) being slidably connected to the two left-right slide guide rails (221) respectively, and the front-rear adjustment platform (23) being fixed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide (222); The top surfaces of the two left and right slide rails (221) are both provided with left and right sliding holes (2211); the bottom surfaces of the two left and right slide rails (221) and the top surfaces of the up-down moving plates (212) are both provided with left and right sliding gaps (2201); left and right moving ear plates (2221) are both fixed on both sides of the left and right moving slides (222); the left and right moving ear plates (2221) are slidably placed in the left and right sliding gaps (2201); the first screw holes (22211) on the two left and right moving ear plates (2221) are both screwed with first fixing screws (223); the screw rods of the first fixing screws (223) are both inserted into the left and right sliding holes (2211); The front-rear adjustment platform (23) comprises: a front-to-back movable plate (231), the front-to-back movable plate (231) being placed on the top surface of the left-right movable slide table (222), the front-to-back movable plate (231) being provided with two front-to-back sliding holes (2311) spaced apart from each other, the electromyographic measurement electrode (5) and the small animal to be measured being fixed on the front-to-back movable plate (231); A second fixing screw (232), wherein the second fixing screw (232) is in plurality, and the screw rods thereof are inserted into the corresponding front and rear sliding holes (2311), and the plurality of the second fixing screws (232) are all threadedly connected to the second screw holes (2222) on the top end surface of the left-right movable slide platform (222); The electromyographic measurement electrode (5) comprises: An electrode bracket (51), the bottom end of the electrode bracket (51) being fixed on the front-rear movable plate (231) and arranged close to the lower limb bandage (234); a supporting cross bar (52), one end of the supporting cross bar (52) being fixedly connected to the top end of the electrode support (51), and an outer wall of the supporting cross bar (52) close to the other end thereof having an external thread section; An electrode fixing plate (53), a connecting rod (531) being fixed to one side of the electrode fixing plate (53), an adjusting nut (54) being fixed to the rod end of the connecting rod (531) away from the electrode fixing plate (53), the adjusting nut (54) being threadedly connected to the external thread section, two electrode mounting holes (532) being provided on the electrode fixing plate (53), and two second tightening screws (55) being threadedly connected to the electrode fixing plate (53); Detection electrodes (56), the number of the detection electrodes (56) being two and respectively inserted into the two electrode mounting holes (532), the tail end of the second tightening screw (55) being in tight contact with the detection electrode (56), the detection electrode (56) being electrically connected to the controller (6), and the detection electrode (56) being used to be inserted into and fixed on a part to be detected of a spasm in the lower limbs of a small animal, so as to measure an electromyographic signal. 2. A device for measuring lower limb spasms of small animals according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of trunk straps (233) and lower limb straps (234) for binding and fixing the trunk and lower limbs of the small animal to be measured are installed on the front-rear movable plate (231), and the electromyographic measurement electrodes (5) are arranged close to the lower limb straps (234). 3. A device for detecting lower limb spasm in small animals according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the ankle joint flexion applying mechanism (3) comprises: a motor (31), the motor (31) being fixed to the top end surface of the base plate (1) via a bracket (32), an angle sensor (33) being mounted on the output shaft of the motor (31), and the motor (31) and the angle sensor (33) being both electrically connected to the controller (6); An ankle joint flexion applying swing rod (34), the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod (34) being the driving end, and having an end surface provided with a plug hole (341) plugged into the output shaft of the motor (31); a first connecting screw (35) is screwed to a position near one end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod (34), and the tail end of the first connecting screw (35) is screwed to a threaded hole on the output shaft of the motor (31); a pressure sensor mounting groove (342) is provided on the other end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod (34), and a second connecting screw (36) is screwed to a position near the other end of the ankle joint flexion applying swing rod (34), and the pressure sensor (4) is mounted in the pressure sensor mounting groove (342), and the tail end of the second connecting screw (36) is screwed to the threaded hole on the pressure sensor (4); A lower limb fixing plate (37), one side of the lower limb fixing plate (37) being fixedly connected to the detection end of the pressure sensor (4), and the lower limb of the small animal to be tested being fixed on the other side of the lower limb fixing plate (37). 4. A method for measuring lower limb spasm in small animals, characterized in that the following testing steps are performed using the device for measuring lower limb spasm in small animals as described in any one of claims 1 to 3: Step 1: Fix the small animal to be tested on the small animal fixing platform (2); Step 2: Then fix the lower limb of the small animal to be tested on the driving end of the ankle joint flexion application mechanism (3), and fix the electromyographic measurement electrode (5) on the nerve on the lower limb of the small animal to be tested; Step 3: Then, the controller (6) controls the ankle flexion applying mechanism (3) to apply different driving angles to the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested at different speeds, so that the ankle joint of the small animal to be tested is dorsiflexed. At the same time, the controller (6) records the rotation angle of the ankle flexion applying mechanism (3) and calculates the rotation angular velocity, and records the electrical signals transmitted by the pressure sensor (4) and the electromyographic measurement electrode (5). Then, the controller (6) transmits the data to the host computer (7) for processing and analysis. 5. A method for measuring lower limb spasticity in small animals according to claim 4, characterized in that, in said step 1, said small animal fixing platform (2) can adjust the up-down, left-right, front-back position of the small animal, so that the relative position of the small animal to be measured and said ankle flexion applying mechanism (3) can be adjusted.