OBJECTIVETo study the features of electromyographic signals of orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) of normal rabbits in various movement states, and to clarify relationships between functional actions of OOM and their electromyographic signals, hoping to obtain information concerning the electromyographic signals controlling OOM as reference for restoring the eye-closing function by artificial facial nerve prosthesis in patients with unilateral peripheral facial palsy.

METHODSThe electromyographic signals were extracted from OOM of normal rabbits by implanted microelectrodes through upper and lower eyelids. Then the features of these electromyographic signals were analyzed in the time domain and the frequency domain.

RESULTSThe peak values of the absolute electromyographic amplitude for natural continuous eye-opening event, natural continuous eye-closing state, natural eye-blinking movement and evoked eye-closing state were (28.8 ± 4.8) µV, (36.0 ± 4.7) µV, (398.8 ± 195.7) µV, and (715.4 ± 249.7) µV, respectively. The peak frequency values of the power spectrum density (PSD) of electromyographic signals for the four modes were (98 ± 17) Hz, (142 ± 22) Hz, (203 ± 58) Hz, and (349 ± 81) Hz, respectively. The electrical activities during the natural continuous eye-opening event and the natural continuous eye-closing state were stable and displayed low amplitudes. During the spontaneous blink state and the evoked eye-closing state, the electromyographic amplitudes markedly increased, and the increased level in the latter state was stronger than that in the former state. When rabbits continuously closed eyes or opened eyes, all of the peak values of the absolute voltage amplitudes were less than 50 µV. The absolute amplitude values of the starting site were between 50 µV and 60 µV during the spontaneous blink and the evoked eye-closing movements. The whole frequency band of the energy of PSD about OOM was between 0 Hz and 500 Hz, and the focus frequency range was between 20 Hz and 350 Hz.In the time domain, the difference was not significant for the electromyographic signals of OOM between the continuous eye-opening state and the continuous eye-closing movement (P > 0.05), but there were statistically significant differences in the other states for their pairwise comparisons (P < 0.05). In the frequency domain, there was no statistically significant difference for the peak frequency of PSD about the electromyographic signals when comparing the continuous eye-opening state with the continuous eye-closing event (P > 0.05). When comparing this item in the other movements with each other, however, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSOOM relaxes when eyelid keeps continuously opening. The action of eyelid-closing is due to contraction of this muscle. Each state has its own features of the electromyographic signals for OOM, these features can be used as criteria for computers to judge and identify various movement states of OOM. However, it is difficult to distinguish the natural continuous eye-opening event from the natural continuous eye-closing state, based on the features of electromyographic signals in the time and frequency domain.