Researcher

Title

• Professor, Biomedical Engineering Institute, Department of Physiology, University of Montreal.

• Post-doctoral studies, Dalhousie University, 1972-1973.
• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique Montreal, University of Montreal, 1972.

• Research Interests
• Electromyography (EMG) signal analysis;
• Study of muscle activity in scoliosis;
• Muscle imaging techniques (magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging).

Current Research Projects

We are working on different approaches and techniques that can help clarify the role of trunk muscles in the development of scoliotic deformities using various simultaneous EMG signal readings taken from the surface of the skin. To facilitate the interpretation of these signals, we are also using anatomical (muscle) data obtained using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Since MRI accessibility is increasingly difficult, we will soon be forced to experiment with ultrasound (US) imaging in order to obtain the same information. In addition, by applying elastography techniques to US images, we are endeavoring to pinpoint the most solicited areas of the dorsal muscles activated by patients. This information of a psychological nature will help us to explain why EMG signal amplitude is frequently higher on the convex side of a scoliotic deformity than on the concave side.

Our current studies focus on patients who suffer from Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD), as these individuals may develop scoliosis. By monitoring them over a period of a few years, we hope to better define the role muscles play in scoliotic deformities.