Solving superposition of motor unit action potential waveforms through a cross-time-frequency based methodology

The identification of the timing of the discharges of groups of muscle fibers (motor units) is of utmost importance in research into the strategies employed by the central nervous system in producing muscle force as well as in the clinical diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases. The process involves the recognition of unique shapes (action potentials) contributed by different motor units at random times throughout a muscle contraction. This paper addresses a specific aspect of the identification process: the decomposition of the compound signal when the action potentials of two or more motor units are superimposed. We propose a cross-time-frequency-based procedure to identify which two (out of a previously identified collection of waveforms) are included in a superposition. The procedure also determines the relative delay of the two waveforms.