Twitch and tetanic properties of human thenar motor units paralyzed by chronic spinal cord injury

Little is known about how human motor units respond to chronic paralysis. Our aim was to record surface electromyographic (EMG) signals, twitch forces, and tetanic forces from paralyzed motor units in the thenar muscles of individuals (n = 12) with chronic (1.5-19 yr) cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Each motor unit was activated by intraneural stimulation of its motor axon using single pulses and trains of pulses at frequencies between 5 and 100 Hz. Paralyzed motor units (n = 48) had small EMGs and weak tetanic forces (n = 32 units) but strong twitch forces, resulting in half-maximal force being achieved at a median of only 8 Hz. The distributions for cumulative twitch and tetanic forces also separated less for paralyzed units than for control units, indicating that increases in stimulation frequency made a smaller relative contribution to the total force output in paralyzed muscles. Paralysis also induced slowing of conduction velocities, twitch contraction times and EMG durations. However, the elevated ratios between the twitch and the tetanic forces, but not contractile speed, correlated significantly with the extent to which unit force summated in response to different frequencies of stimulation. Despite changes in the absolute values of many electrical and mechanical properties of paralyzed motor units, most of the distributions shifted uniformly relative to those of thenar units obtained from control subjects. Thus human thenar muscles paralyzed by SCI retain a population of motor units with heterogeneous contractile properties because chronic paralysis influenced all of the motor units similarly.     

EMG changes in human thenar motor units with force potentiation and fatigue

Few studies have analyzed activity-induced changes in EMG activity in individual human motor units. We studied the changes in human thenar motor unit EMG that accompany the potentiation of twitch force and fatigue of tetanic force. Single motor unit EMG and force were recorded in healthy subjects in response to selective stimulation of their motor axons within the median nerve just above the elbow. Twitches were recorded before and after a series of pulse trains delivered at frequencies that varied between 5 and 100 Hz. This stimulation induced significant increases in EMG amplitude, duration, and area. However, in relative terms, all of these EMG changes were substantially smaller than the potentiation of twitch force. Another 2 min of stimulation (13 pulses at 40 Hz each second) induced additional potentiation of EMG amplitude, duration, and area, but the tetanic force from every unit declined. Thus activity-induced changes in human thenar motor unit EMG do not indicate the alterations in force or vice versa. These data suggest that different processes underlie the changes in EMG and force that occur during human thenar motor unit activity.     

Fatigue of paralyzed and control thenar muscles induced by variable or constant frequency stimulation

Muscles paralyzed by chronic (>1 yr) spinal cord injury fatigue readily. Our aim was to evaluate whether the fatigability of paralyzed thenar muscles (n = 10) could be reduced by the repeated delivery of variable versus constant frequency pulse trains. Fatigue was induced in four ways. Intermittent supramaximal median nerve stimulation (300-ms-duration trains) was delivered at 1) constant high frequency (13 pulses at 40 Hz each second for 2 min); 2) variable high frequency (each second for 2 min). The first two intervals of each variable frequency train were 5 and 20 ms. The remaining pulses were evenly distributed in time across 275 ms. The number of pulses varied for each subject such that the force time integral in the unfatigued state matched that evoked by a constant 40-Hz train; 3) constant low frequency (7 pulses at 20 Hz each second for 4 min); and 4) variable low frequency (each second for 4 min). The pulse pattern was the same as that for variable high frequency except that the force-time integral was matched to that produced by the constant low-frequency stimulation. These same experiments were performed on the thenar muscles of five able-bodied control subjects. The variable high-frequency trains used to fatigue paralyzed and control muscles had an average (+/- SE) of 12 +/- 2 and 10 +/- 1 pulses, respectively. Variable low-frequency trains had 7 +/- 1 and 6 +/- 1 pulses, respectively. Significant mean force declines of comparable magnitude (to 20-25% initial fatigue force or to 13-21% initial 50 Hz force) were seen in paralyzed muscles with all four stimulation protocols. The force reductions in paralyzed muscles were always accompanied by significant increases in half-relaxation time and decreases in force-time integral, irrespective of the stimulation protocol. Significant force decreases also occurred in control muscles during each fatigue test. Again, these force declines were similar whether constant or variable pulse patterns were used at high or low frequencies (to 40-60% initial fatigue force or to 29-36% initial 50 Hz force). The force reductions in control muscles were significantly less than those seen in paralyzed muscles, except when constant high-frequency stimulation was used. The variations in stimulation frequency, pulse pattern, and pulse number used in this study therefore had little influence on thenar muscle fatigue in control subjects or in spinal cord-injured subjects with chronic paralysis.     

Reproducibility of contractile properties of the human paralysed and non-paralysed quadriceps muscle.

This study assessed the reproducibility of electrically evoked, isometric quadriceps contractile properties in eight people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and eight able-bodied (AB) individuals. Over all, the pooled coefficients of variation (CVps) in the SCI group were significantly lower (ranging from 0.03 to 0.15) than in the AB group (ranging from 0.08 to 0.21) (P<0.05). Furthermore, in all subjects, the variability of force production increased as stimulation frequency decreased (P<0.01). In subjects with SCI, variables of contractile speed are clearly less reproducible than tetanic tension or resistance to fatigue. Contractile properties of quadriceps muscles of SCI subjects were significantly different from that of AB subjects. Muscles of people with SCI were less fatigue resistant (P<0.05) and produced force-frequency relationships that were shifted to the left, compared with AB controls (P<.01). In addition, fusion of force responses resulting from 10 Hz stimulation was reduced (P<.05) and speed of contraction (but not relaxation) was increased (P<0.05), indicating an increased contractile speed in paralysed muscles compared with non-paralysed muscles. These results correspond with an expected predominance of fast glycolytic muscle fibres in paralysed muscles. It is concluded that quadriceps dynamometry is a useful technique to study muscle function in non-paralysed as well as in paralysed muscles. Furthermore, these techniques can be reliably used, for example, to assess therapeutic interventions on paralysed muscles provided that expected differences in relative tetanic tension and fatigue resistance are larger than approximately 5% and differences in contractile speed are larger than approximately 15%.     

Force-frequency and fatigue properties of motor units in muscles that control digits of the human hand

Modulation of motor unit activation rate is a fundamental process by which the mammalian nervous system encodes muscle force. To identify how rate coding of force may change as a consequence of fatigue, intraneural microstimulation of motor axons was used to elicit twitch and force-frequency responses before and after 2 min of intermittent stimulation (40-Hz train for 330 ms, 1 train/s) in single motor units of human long finger flexor muscles and intrinsic hand muscles. Before fatigue, two groups of units could be distinguished based on the stimulus frequency needed to elicit half-maximal force; group 1 (n = 8) required 9.1 +/- 0.5 Hz (means +/- SD), and group 2 (n = 5) required 15.5 +/- 1.1 Hz. Twitch contraction times were significantly different between these two groups (group 1 = 66. 5 ms; group 2 = 45.9 ms). Overall 18% of the units were fatigue resistant [fatigue index (FI) > 0.75], 64% had intermediate fatigue sensitivity (0.25 相似文献   

Electromyographic responses of mammalian motor units to a fatigue test

Evidence is presented that marked changes in the electromyographic (EMG) activity of single motor units often occur during a fatigue-test paradigm (12) widely used for the classification of mammalian motor units into fast-fatigable (FF), fast-intermediate-fatigable, fast-fatigue-resistant and slow categories (11), particularly in type FF units. Force output and EMG activity were measured in single motor units of the tibialis posterior muscle of anasthetized cats, while each unit was subjected to a fatigue test consisting of 4 min of motor-axon stimulation, using 1 Hz 330 ms trains of 0.1 ms shocks at 40 Hz. As a measure of the temporal characteristics of the EMG waveform, the reciprocal of the interval between first positive and subsequent negative peak was measured. For parameters of EMG magnitude, peak-to-peak amplitude and area were measured. The fatigue test was shown to produce, on average, significantly greater alterations in the values of the EMG parameters of FF units than of the other unit types. There were no significant EMG alterations among the other unit types. The results are discussed in relation to the interpretation of EMG depression as an indication of excitation failure and the relative fatigability and EMG depression of different motor unit types.     

Electromyographic and contractile properties of rabbit masseter motor units during fatiguing stimulation

Trigeminal motoneurons were electrically stimulated in order to investigate the electromyographic (EMG) behavior in relation to the contractile properties of motor units of the masseter muscle. A total of 80 motor units were studied in situ in male New Zealand White rabbits (n=46). The motor units were separated into two groups, each exposed to a specific fatiguing stimulation regimen. Motor unit action potential (MUAP) features, which comprised the amplitude (AMP) and inter-peak time (IPT), and the tetanic force were measured. All motor units were classified as fast (F) units. Forty-one motor units underwent a prolonged standard fatigue regimen of 40-Hz trains at 1 Hz for 20 min. While the MUAP showed an immediate decrease of mean AMP at the beginning of the stimulation, the mean force and IPT increased. After 2 min, the force declined, while the IPT continued to increase until 20 min. Only after 3 min of stimulation, did the degree of force decrease parallel the decline in MUAP AMP. After 20 min of stimulation, the majority of motor units (n=34) still generated a force larger than 50% of the initial value, but only 17 motor units showed MUAP AMP of less than 50% of the initial EMG response. A more intensive fatigue regimen (40-Hz trains at 1.5 Hz) was applied to another group of 39 motor units. A rapid decline of force and MUAP amplitude to almost 50% was observed within the first 5 min of stimulation. After 20 min, only four motor units were still able to produce a tetanic force of more than 50% of the initial. Most strikingly, motor units with twitch contraction times faster than 22 ms exhibited a decrease in force more than in MUAP AMP, whereas the reverse was seen for units slower than 22 ms; motor units with a twitch contraction time of 22 ms showed equal decrease in AMP and force. This finding is suggestive of a division of fast masseter motor units into two classes, those which fatigue more rapidly mechanically and those which fatigue more readily electrically. Electronic Publication     

Motor unit firing during and after voluntary contractions of human thenar muscles weakened by spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury may change both the distribution and the strength of the synaptic input within a motoneuron pool and therefore alter force gradation. Here, we have studied the relative contributions of motor unit recruitment and rate modulation to force gradation during voluntary contractions of thenar muscles performed by five individuals with chronic (>1 yr) cervical spinal cord injury. Mean +/- SD thenar unit firing rates were low during both steady-level 25% (8.3 +/- 2.2 Hz, n = 27 units) and 100% maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs, 9.2 +/- 3.1 Hz, n = 23 units). Thus modest rate modulation, or a lack of it in some units, was seen despite an average fourfold increase in integrated surface electromyographic activity and force. During ramp contractions, units were recruited at 5.7 +/- 2.5 Hz, but still only reached maximal firing rates of 12.8 +/- 4.9 Hz. Motor units were recruited up to 85% of the maximal force achieved (14.6 +/- 5.6 N). In contrast, unit recruitment in control hand muscles is largely complete by 30% MVC. Thus, during voluntary contractions of thenar muscles weakened by cervical spinal cord injury, motor unit rate modulation was limited and recruitment occurred over a wider than usual force range. Those motor units that were stopped voluntarily had significantly lower derecruitment versus recruitment thresholds. However, 8 units (24%) continued to fire long after the signal to end the voluntary contraction at a mean frequency of 5.9 +/- 0.8 Hz. The forces generated by this prolonged unit activity ranged from 0.3 to 7.2% maximum. Subjects were unable to stop this involuntary unit activity even with the help of feedback. The mechanisms that underlie this prolonged motor unit firing need to be explored further.     

Effects of a 5-h hilly running on ankle plantar and dorsal flexor force and fatigability

This study aimed to examine the effects of a 5-h hilly run on ankle plantar (PF) and dorsal flexor (DF) force and fatigability. It was hypothesised that DF fatigue/fatigability would be greater than PF fatigue/fatigability. Eight male trail long distance runners (42.5 ± 5.9 years) were tested for ankle PF and DF maximal voluntary isokinetic contraction strength and fatigue resistance tests (percent decrement score), maximal voluntary and electrically evoked isometric contraction strength before and after the run. Maximal EMG root mean square (RMS(max)) and mean power frequency (MPF) values of the tibialis anterior (TA), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and soleus (SOL) EMG activity were calculated. The peak torque of the potentiated high- and low-frequency doublets and the ratio of paired stimulation peak torques at 10 Hz over 100 Hz (Db10:100) were analysed for PF. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength of PF decreased from pre- to post-run (-17.0 ± 6.2%; P < 0.05), but no significant decrease was evident for DF (-7.9 ± 6.2%). Maximal voluntary isokinetic contraction strength and fatigue resistance remained unchanged for both PF and DF. RMS(max) SOL during maximal voluntary isometric contraction and RMS(max) TA during maximal voluntary isokinetic contraction were decreased (P < 0.05) after the run. For MPF, a significant decrease for TA (P < 0.05) was found and the ratio Db10:100 decreased for PF (-6.5 ± 6.0%; P < 0.05). In conclusion, significant isometric strength loss was only detected for PF after a 5-h hilly run and was partly due to low-frequency fatigue. This study contradicted the hypothesis that neuromuscular alterations due to prolonged hilly running are predominant for DF.     

Force-frequency relationships of human thenar motor units

1. Force-frequency relationships were examined in 30 human thenar single motor units. The technique of intraneural stimulation was used to stimulate the motor axon in the median nerve proximal to the elbow with a tungsten microelectrode. 2. The stimulation consisted of either single shocks or trains of pulses (1 or 2 s duration) at constant rates varying between 5 and 100 Hz. To control various mechanical artifacts, the stimuli were delivered after electronically resetting the force baseline, and the stimuli were phased to the pulse pressure wave. Thumb flexion and abduction force components were recorded and the magnitude and direction of the resultant force calculated. Electromyographic responses (EMG) were recorded from both the proximal and distal thenar muscle surfaces. 3. For all units, twitch force began to fuse between 5 and 8 Hz and maximum tetanic force was achieved between 30 and 100 Hz. Half-maximum tetanic force was produced at 12 +/- 4 (SD) Hz, as assessed by interpolation using the nearly linear force-frequency relationship between 8 and 30 Hz (on logarithmic frequency coordinates). 4. For the majority of units (n = 19), the strongest force changes in response to variations in stimulation frequency occurred between 5 and 10 Hz (sensitivity 6 +/- 1 mN/Hz). Fewer units showed highest force-frequency sensitivity between 8 and 15 Hz (n = 7; 4 +/- 3 mN/Hz) or 10 and 20 Hz (n = 4; 5 +/- 2 mN/Hz).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Attempts to physiologically classify human thenar motor units

1. This study was designed to determine whether human thenar motor units can be classified into types by the same physiological criteria used for other mammalian limb motor units and to consider whether such classification is functionally relevant. 2. Contractile responses of 25 human thenar single motor units were examined when their motor axons were stimulated intraneurally at rates from 1 to 100 Hz and intermittently at 40 Hz in a conventional 2-min fatigue test. Twitch and tetanic forces were measured together with various indexes of contractile rate. 3. Twitch contraction times and subtetanic to maximum tetanic force ratios were both distributed continuously. "Sag" in tension was not evident in unfused force profiles. Thus these units could not be divided into fast and slow types by the use of traditional contractile rate criteria. 4. Most units were fatigue resistant, with force fatigue indexes (FI) ranging from 0.33 to 1.14. None could be classified as fatiguable (FI less than 0.25). Seven units (28%) fell into the fatigue-intermediate (FI = 0.25-0.75) category, whereas 18 units (72%) had FI greater than 0.75, i.e., they were fatigue-resistant units. However, these units could not be classified by conventional FI and contractile rate criteria, because fatigue-resistant and fatigue-intermediate units had similar contractile rates. 5. Additional FI were calculated to describe changes in contractile rate. During the fatigue test, units behaved in one of three ways, showing 1) little change in either force or rate; 2) contractile slowing during the contraction and relaxation phases, with little or no force loss; or 3) both force and rate reduction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Contractile properties of in situ perfused skeletal muscles from rats with congestive heart failure

We hypothesized that in congestive heart failure (CHF) slow-twitch but not fast-twitch muscles exhibit decreased fatigue resistance in the sense of accelerated reduction of muscle force during activity. Experiments were carried out on anaesthetized rats 6 weeks after induction of myocardial infarction or a sham operation (Sham). Animals with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) > 15 mmHg under anaesthesia were selected for the CHF group. There was no muscle atrophy in CHF. Force generation by in situ perfused soleus (Sol) or extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles was recorded during stimulation (trains at 5 Hz for 6 s (Sol) or 10 Hz for 1.5 s (EDL) at 10 or 2.5 s intervals, respectively) for 1 h in Sol and 10 min in EDL at 37 °C. Initial force was almost the same in Sol from CHF and Sham rats, but relaxation was slower in CHF. Relaxation times (95–5 % of peak force) were 177 ± 55 and 131 ± 44 ms in CHF and Sham, respectively, following the first stimulation train. After 2 min of stimulation the muscles transiently became slower and maximum relaxation times were 264 ± 71 and 220 ± 45 ms in CHF and Sham, respectively (   P < 0.05  ). After 60 min they recovered to 204 ± 60 and 122 ± 55 ms in CHF and Sham, respectively (   P < 0.05  ). In CHF but not in Sham rats the force of contraction of Sol declined from the second to the sixtieth minute to 70 % of peak force. The EDL of both CHF and Sham fatigued to 24–28 % of initial force, but no differences in contractility pattern were detected. Thus, slow-twitch muscle is severely affected in CHF by slower than normal relaxation and significantly reduced fatigue resistance, which may explain the sensation of both muscle stiffness and fatigue in CHF patients.     

Influence of fatigue on hand muscle coordination and EMG-EMG coherence during three-digit grasping

Fingertip force control requires fine coordination of multiple hand muscles within and across the digits. While the modulation of neural drive to hand muscles as a function of force has been extensively studied, much less is known about the effects of fatigue on the coordination of simultaneously active hand muscles. We asked eight subjects to perform a fatiguing contraction by gripping a manipulandum with thumb, index, and middle fingers while matching an isometric target force (40% maximal voluntary force) for as long as possible. The coordination of 12 hand muscles was quantified as electromyographic (EMG) muscle activation pattern (MAP) vector and EMG-EMG coherence. We hypothesized that muscle fatigue would cause uniform changes in EMG amplitude across all muscles and an increase in EMG-EMG coherence in the higher frequency bands but with an invariant heterogeneous distribution across muscles. Muscle fatigue caused a 12.5% drop in the maximum voluntary contraction force (P < 0.05) at task failure and an increase in the SD of force (P < 0.01). Although EMG amplitude of all muscles increased during the fatiguing contraction (P < 0.001), the MAP vector orientation did not change, indicating that a similar muscle coordination pattern was used throughout the fatiguing contraction. Last, EMG-EMG coherence (0-35 Hz) was significantly greater at the end than at the beginning of the fatiguing contraction (P < 0.01) but was heterogeneously distributed across hand muscles. These findings suggest that similar mechanisms are involved for modulating and sustaining digit forces in nonfatiguing and fatiguing contractions, respectively.     

Needle electromyography in carpal tunnel syndrome

The role of needle electromyography (EMG) in the routine evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is not clear. The aim of this study was to determine if needle EMG examination of the thenar muscles could provide useful information in addition to the nerve conduction (NC) studies. Electrophysiologic procedures performed on 84 patients (103 hands) consistent with CTS were reviewed. The median thenar motor NC data were matched with the needle EMG findings in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle. The severity of the needle EMG findings in the APB muscle correlated well with the severity of the motor NC data. As the thenar compound muscle action potential amplitude decreased and the degree of nerve conduction slowing and block across the wrist increased, there was a corresponding increase in the number of enlarged motor units and decrease in the recruitment pattern in the needle EMG findings. Needle EMG examination confined to the thenar muscles in CTS does not seem to provide any further information when the NC data had already established this diagnosis, and it should not be performed routinely.     

Effect of inspiratory muscle work on peripheral fatigue of locomotor muscles in healthy humans

The work of breathing required during maximal exercise compromises blood flow to limb locomotor muscles and reduces exercise performance. We asked if force output of the inspiratory muscles affected exercise-induced peripheral fatigue of locomotor muscles. Eight male cyclists exercised at ≥ 90% peak O₂ uptake to exhaustion (CTRL). On a separate occasion, subjects exercised for the same duration and power output as CTRL (13.2 ± 0.9 min, 292 W), but force output of the inspiratory muscles was reduced (−56% versus CTRL) using a proportional assist ventilator (PAV). Subjects also exercised to exhaustion (7.9 ± 0.6 min, 292 W) while force output of the inspiratory muscles was increased (+80% versus CTRL) via inspiratory resistive loads (IRLs), and again for the same duration and power output with breathing unimpeded (IRL-CTRL). Quadriceps twitch force ( Q _tw), in response to supramaximal paired magnetic stimuli of the femoral nerve (1–100 Hz), was assessed pre- and at 2.5 through to 70 min postexercise. Immediately after CTRL exercise, Q _tw was reduced −28 ± 5% below pre-exercise baseline and this reduction was attenuated following PAV exercise (−20 ± 5%; P < 0.05). Conversely, increasing the force output of the inspiratory muscles (IRL) exacerbated exercise-induced quadriceps muscle fatigue ( Q _tw=−12 ± 8% IRL-CTRL versus −20 ± 7% IRL; P < 0.05). Repeat studies between days showed that the effects of exercise per se , and of superimposed inspiratory muscle loading on quadriceps fatigue were highly reproducible. In conclusion, peripheral fatigue of locomotor muscles resulting from high-intensity sustained exercise is, in part, due to the accompanying high levels of respiratory muscle work.     

Motor unit recruitment and derecruitment induced by brief increase in contraction amplitude of the human trapezius muscle

The activity pattern of low-threshold human trapezius motor units was examined in response to brief, voluntary increases in contraction amplitude ('EMG pulse') superimposed on a constant contraction at 4–7% of the surface electromyographic (EMG) response at maximal voluntary contraction (4–7% EMG_max). EMG pulses at 15–20% EMG_max were superimposed every minute on contractions of 5, 10, or 30 min duration. A quadrifilar fine-wire electrode recorded single motor unit activity and a surface electrode recorded simultaneously the surface EMG signal. Low-threshold motor units recruited at the start of the contraction were observed to stop firing while motor units of higher recruitment threshold stayed active. Derecruitment of a motor unit coincided with the end of an EMG pulse. The lowest-threshold motor units showed only brief silent periods. Some motor units with recruitment threshold up to 5% EMG_max higher than the constant contraction level were recruited during an EMG pulse and kept firing throughout the contraction. Following an EMG pulse, there was a marked reduction in motor unit firing rates upon return of the surface EMG signal to the constant contraction level, outlasting the EMG pulse by 4 s on average. The reduction in firing rates may serve as a trigger to induce derecruitment. We speculate that the silent periods following derecruitment may be due to deactivation of non-inactivating inward current ('plateau potentials'). The firing behaviour of trapezius motor units in these experiments may thus illustrate a mechanism and a control strategy to reduce fatigue of motor units with sustained activity patterns.     

Measurement of contractile and electrical properties of single human thenar motor units in response to intraneural motor-axon stimulation

1. A method is described for measuring contractile properties of single human motor units. Conventional human microneurographic techniques were adapted to stimulate individual motor axons in the median nerve, with the use of negative current pulses and a tungsten microelectrode, while recording motor-unit electromyographic activity (EMG) and isometric force responses from the thenar muscles. 2. EMG signals were recorded from both proximal and distal thenar muscle surfaces. Force was recorded in two directions (thumb flexion and abduction). This allowed calculation of the direction and magnitude of resultant force exerted by each unit. 3. Data accepted as originating from a single unit satisfied all the traditional "all-or-none" criteria. Additional criteria also required the following: 1) a wide safety margin between the threshold for unit activation and the current intensity needed to elicit responses from other units; 2) that the characteristic direction in which each unit generated force did not change during the recording period; and 3) whenever F-responses were encountered, the second EMG waveform was identical to the first--a highly improbable event if more than one unit had been excited. 4. Respiration and blood pressure waves introduced baseline fluctuations that distorted the force measurements. These fluctuations were minimized by synchronizing stimuli to the pulse pressure cycle and resetting the baseline electronically just before stimulus onset. 5. Combining motor-axon stimulation at a site remote from the muscle with electronic resetting of the force baseline and delivery of stimuli at fixed intervals after the pulse pressure waves allowed the full time course of human motor-unit twitch and tetanic force and EMG signals to be recorded accurately without signal averaging.     

Changes in force, surface and motor unit EMG during post-exercise development of low frequency fatigue in vastus lateralis muscle

We investigated the effects of low frequency fatigue (LFF) on post-exercise changes in rectified surface EMG (rsEMG) and single motor unit EMG (smuEMG) in vastus lateralis muscle (n=9). On two experimental days the knee extensors were fatigued with a 60-s-isometric contraction (exercise) at 50% maximal force capacity (MFC). On the first day post-exercise (15 s, 3, 9, 15, 21 and 27 min) rsEMG and electrically-induced (surface stimulation) forces were investigated. SmuEMG was obtained on day two. During short ramp and hold (5 s) contractions at 50% MFC, motor unit discharges of the same units were followed over time. Post-exercise MFC and tetanic force (100 Hz stimulation) recovered to about 90% of the pre-exercise values, but recovery with 20 Hz stimulation was less complete: the 20–100 Hz force ratio (mean ± SD) decreased from 0.65±0.06 (pre-exercise) to 0.56±0.04 at 27 min post-exercise (P<0.05), indicative of LFF. At 50% MFC, pre-exercise rsEMG (% pre-exercise maximum) and motor unit discharge rate were 51.1±12.7% and 14.1±3.7 (pulses per second; pps) respectively, 15 s post-exercise the respective values were 61.4±15.4% (P<0.05) and 13.2±5.6 pps (P>0.05). Thereafter, rsEMG (at 50% MFC) remained stable but motor unit discharge rate significantly increased to 17.7±3.9 pps 27 min post-exercise. The recruitment threshold decreased (P<0.05) from 27.7±6.6% MFC before exercise to 25.2±6.7% 27 min post-exercise. The increase in discharge rate was significantly greater than could be expected from the decrease in recruitment threshold. Thus, post-exercise LFF was compensated by increased motor unit discharge rates which could only partly be accounted for by the small decrease in motor unit recruitment threshold.     

Carpal tunnel syndrome: comparison of the compound muscle action potentials recorded at the thenar region from ulnar and median nerve stimulation

Thenar muscles are primarily innervated by the median nerve. However, compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) evoked by ulnar nerve stimulation can be recorded at the thenar region due to proximity of some ulnar-innervated muscles, and from volume conduction events. This study was to determine if loss of thenar muscle mass from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) could alter the size of ulnar CMAPs obtained at the thenar region, because of changes in the physical surroundings and electrical conductivity. Supramaximal CMAPs were recorded over the thenar eminence to electrical stimulation of the ulnar nerve at the wrist and median nerve at the palm in 102 hands with CTS. Needle EMG was done in the thenar muscles. Severity of needle EMG abnormality was negatively correlated with median-evoked CMAP amplitude (r = -0.76), but not with ulnar-evoked CMAP amplitude (r = -0.12). There was no correlation between the absolute amplitudes of the median and ulnar CMAPs (r = -0.13). Needle EMG abnormality had modest negative correlation (r = -0.43) with median/ulnar CMAP amplitude ratio. Mean median/ulnar CMAP amplitude ratios for normal EMG and for mild, moderate, and severe needle EMG abnormalities were 3.72, 3.31, 1.56, and 0.37, respectively. The absolute amplitude of the ulnar CMAP recorded at the thenar area does not seem to be influenced significantly by the degree of thenar muscle loss (atrophy) from median nerve pathology. However, if the median/ulnar CMAP amplitude ratio falls below 0.5, the study suggests severe loss of motor units in the thenar muscles.     

Motor-unit categorization based on contractile and histochemical properties: a glycogen depletion analysis of normal and reinnervated rat tibialis anterior muscle.

1. Isolated and glycogen-depleted motor units (MUs) have been studied in normal and reinnervated tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of the rat to examine 1) the correspondence between physiological and histochemical classifications, 2) the extent to which unit properties cluster according to type, 3) the relation between unit force and fatigability, and 4) the extent to which reinnervated MUs recover their former properties. 2. MUs were isolated by ventral root dissection and stimulation in reinnervated and normal TA muscles, 3.5-8 mo after common peroneal (CP) nerve section and resuture and in age-matched control rats, respectively. The units were characterized physiologically for classification into four types: slow twitch (S), fast twitch, fatigue resistant (FR), fast twitch fatigue intermediate (FI), and fast twitch fatigue sensitive (FF). Four muscle fiber types were identified histochemically with the use of a modification of the techniques of Brooke and Kaiser, and Guth and Samaha to delineate fiber subtypes on the basis of the pH sensitivity of myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase). 3. Neither the time-to-peak twitch force development nor the profile of unfused tetanus ("sag test") was unambiguous in separating fast from slow MUs. However, all units with a time to peak greater than 22 ms were fatigue resistant, and this time was chosen to delineate fast from slow. The fast unit population was further subdivided on the basis of their fatigability. There is normally a small proportion of S units (6% S) that increased to 20% after reinnervation. Although the fast population was subdivided, there was a continuous distribution of fatigue indexes in normal and reinnervated muscles with the highest number of fast units falling into the FI category. The proportions of fast units were 28% FR, 45% FI, and 21% FF in normal muscles and 29% FR, 38% FI, and 13% FF in reinnervated muscles. 4. In normal muscles, delineation of fast and slow fibers and subdivision of fast fiber types on the basis of acid and alkali stability of myofibrillar ATPase provided a histochemical classification that showed 78% correspondence with physiological classification of the same identified units. In reinnervated muscles the correspondence between physiological and histochemical classifications was reduced to 72%. 5. The normal correlation between MU fatigability and isometric force in TA muscles was not seen in reinnervated muscles that contained more FR MUs. Mean fatigue index from normal units was significantly less at 0.55 +/- 0.03 (mean +/- SE) compared with 0.68 +/- 0.03 from reinnervated units.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)