EMG (electromyography) is the recording of the movement of our muscles. It is based on the fact that when our muscles are active, there will be electrical activity, that is, every time a muscle contracts, a burst of electrical activity will be generated, and this electrical activity will be transmitted through our body to the epidermis. We record this electrical activity through instruments to analyze our muscle activity.
How does an EMG work?
Since EMG activity (measured in microvolts) is linearly related to the amount of muscle contraction and the amount of contracted muscle - or in other words, the stronger the muscle contraction and the greater the number of muscles activated, the higher the recorded voltage and the stronger the amplitude .
Since EMG activity is measurable even when we do not exhibit overt movements or even suppress certain behaviors, EMG recordings represent an additional source of information on cognitive-behavioral processing that would be hidden based on pure observation
How is an EMG performed?
Electromyography is a non-invasive procedure. Muscle movement was measured by applying two EMG electrode patches to the skin of the participant's body in the intended study area.