Effect of glycogen loading on skeletal muscle cross‐sectional area and T2 relaxation time

This study was performed to investigate if glycogen loading of skeletal muscles, by binding water, would effect the cross‐sectional area (CSA) and if an altered water content would alter the transverse relaxation time (T2) measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Five healthy volunteers participated in a programme with 4 days of extremely carbohydrate‐restricted meals followed by 4 days of extremely high carbohydrate intake. The CSA and T2 of thigh and calf muscles were related to the intramuscular glycogen content evaluated at days 4 and 8. An increase in glycogen content from 281 to 634 mmol kg^–1 dry wt increased the CSA of the vastus muscles by 3.5% from 78 ± 11 to 80 ± 12 cm² and the thigh circumference by 2.5% from 146 ± 20 to 150 ± 23 cm². Calf circumference increased non‐significantly by 4% from 78 ± 15 to 82 ± 19 cm². Mono‐exponential T2 decreased in m tibialis anterior from 27.8 ± 1.2 to 26.9 ± 1.7 ms, did not change in m. vastus lateralis 26.5 ± 1.9 ms/26.6 ± 1.3 ms or in m. gastrocnemius 29.5 ± 1.0 ms/29.8 ± 1.9 ms. Glycogen loading increased the signal intensity mainly at different echo times (TE) 15 and 30 ms. The study shows that increased glycogen filling in the muscles increases muscle CSA and that this can be detected by MRI. The signal intensity increased the most at shorter TEs suggesting a more tight intracellular binding of water in glycogen loaded muscles.     

Glycogen depletion of human skeletal muscle fibers in response to high-frequency electrical stimulation.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the pattern of change in muscular glycogen content in response to high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFES). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis muscle of 7 healthy young men before, 15 min after, and 30 min after electrical stimulation delivered at a 50-Hz frequency (15 s on, 45 s off) at an intensity of 100 mA. The glycogen content of type I, IIA, and IIB muscle fibres was evaluated using microphotometry of periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stained fibres. After 15 min of electrical stimulation, the glycogen content in type I, IIA, and IIB muscle fibres significantly decreased from 113 +/- 10 (mean +/- SE) to 103 +/- 10 (p < or = 0.05), 129 +/- 9 to 102 +/- 12 (p < or = 0.01), and 118 +/- 8 to 90 +/- 13 (p < or = 0.01) arbitrary relative units, respectively. No further decrement in glycogen content was observed in all three fibre types following an additional 15 min of HFES. In addition, isometric force decreased by approximately 50%, from 125.9 +/- 20.0 N to 64.2 +/- 7.7 N (p < or = 0.01), during the first 15 contractions. No further decrease in isometric force was observed following an additional 15 contractions of HFES. These results reveal that significant reductions in isometric force of knee extensor muscles and glycogen content of all human skeletal muscle fibre types in vastus lateralis muscle are observable after 15 min of neuromuscular high-frequency transcutaneous electrical stimulation.     

Human soleus muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise

AIM: It is generally believed the calf muscles in humans are relatively unresponsive to resistance training when compared with other muscles of the body. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the muscle protein synthesis response of the soleus muscle following a standard high intensity bout of resistance exercise. METHODS: Eight recreationally active males (27 +/- 4 years) completed three unilateral calf muscle exercises: standing calf press/heel raise, bent-knee calf press/heel raise, and seated calf press/heel raise. Each exercise consisted of four sets of 15 repetitions (approximately 15 repetition maximum, RM, or approximately 70% 1RM). Fractional rate of muscle protein synthesis (FSR) was determined with a primed constant infusion of [2H5]phenylalanine coupled with muscle biopsies immediately and 3 h following the exercise in both the exercise and non-exercise (resting control) leg. RESULTS: FSR was elevated (P < 0.05) in the exercise (0.069 +/- 0.010) vs. the control (0.051 +/- 0.012) leg. Muscle glycogen concentration was lower (P < 0.05) in the exercise compared with the control leg (Decrease from control; immediate post-exercise: 54 +/- 5; 3 h post-exercise: 36 +/- 4 mmol kg(-1) wet wt.). This relatively high amount of glycogen use is comparable with previous studies of resistance exercise of the thigh (i.e. vastus lateralis; approximately 41-49 mmol kg(-1) wet wt.). However, the exercise-induced increase in FSR that has been consistently reported for the vastus lateralis (approximately 0.045-0.060% h(-1)) is on average approximately 200% higher than reported here for the soleus (0.019 +/- 0.003% h(-1)). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the relatively poor response of soleus muscle protein synthesis to an acute bout of resistance exercise may be the basis for the relative inability of the calf muscles to respond to resistance training programs.     

Selective long-term electrical stimulation of fast glycolytic fibres increases capillary supply but not oxidative enzyme activity in rat skeletal muscles

Glycolytic fibres in rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and tibialis anterior (TA) were selectively activated, as demonstrated by glycogen depletion, by indirect electrical stimulation via electrodes implanted in the vicinity of the peroneal nerve using high frequency (40 Hz) trains (250 ms at 1 Hz) and low voltage (threshold of palpable contractions). This regime was applied 10 times per day, each bout being of 15 min duration with 60 min recovery, for 2 weeks. Cryostat sections of muscles were stained for alkaline phosphatase to depict capillaries, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) to demonstrate oxidative fibres, and periodic acid-Schiff reagent (PAS) to verify glycogen depletion. Specific activity of hexokinase (HK), 6-phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, glycogen phosphorylase and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) were estimated separately in homogenates of the EDL and the predominantly glycolytic cortex and oxidative core of the TA. Stimulation increased the activity of HK but not that of oxidative enzymes in fast muscles. Comparison of changes in oxidative capacity and capillary supply showed a dissociation in the predominantly glycolytic TA cortex. Here, COX was 3.9+/-0.68 microM min(-1) (g wet wt)-1 in stimulated muscles compared with 3.7+/-0.52 microM min(-1) (g wet wt)-1 in contralateral muscles (difference not significant), while the percentage of oxidative fibres (those positively stained for SDH) was also similar in stimulated (14.0+/-2.8 %) and contralateral (12.2 +/-1.9 %) muscles. In contrast, the capillary to fibre ratio was significantly increased (2.01+/-0.12 vs. 1.55+/-0.04, P<0.01). We conclude that capillary supply can be increased independently of oxidative capacity, possibly due to haemodynamic factors, and serves metabolite removal to a greater extent than substrate delivery.     

13C MRS reveals a small diurnal variation in the glycogen content of human thigh muscle

There is marked diurnal variation in the glycogen content of skeletal muscles of animals, but few studies have addressed such variations in human muscles. ¹³C MRS can be used to noninvasively measure the glycogen content of human skeletal muscle, but no study has explored the diurnal variations in this parameter. This study aimed to investigate whether a diurnal variation in glycogen content occurs in human muscles and, if so, to what extent it can be identified using ¹³C MRS. Six male volunteers were instructed to maintain their normal diet and not to perform strenuous exercise for at least 3 days before and during the experiment. Muscle glycogen and blood glucose concentrations were measured six times in 24 h under normal conditions in these subjects. The glycogen content in the thigh muscle was determined noninvasively by natural abundance ¹³C MRS using a clinical MR system at 3 T. Nutritional analysis revealed that the subjects' mean carbohydrate intake was 463 ± 137 g, being approximately 6.8 ± 2.4 g/kg body weight. The average sleeping time was 5.9 ± 1.0 h. The glycogen content in the thigh muscle at the starting point was 64.8 ± 20.6 mM. Although absolute and relative individual variations in muscle glycogen content were 7.0 ± 2.1 mM and 11.3 ± 4.6%, respectively, no significant difference in glycogen content was observed among the different time points. This study demonstrates that normal food intake (not fat and/or carbohydrate rich), sleep and other daily activities have a negligible influence on thigh muscle glycogen content, and that the diurnal variation of the glycogen content in human muscles is markedly smaller than that in animal muscles. Moreover, the present results also support the reproducibility and availability of ¹³C MRS for the evaluation of the glycogen content in human muscles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glycogen synthase activation in human skeletal muscle: effects of diet and exercise.

We investigated the role of glycogen synthase in supranormal resynthesis (supercompensation) of skeletal muscle glycogen after exhaustive exercise. Six healthy men exercised 60 min by cycling with one leg at 75% VO2max, recovered 3 days on a low-carbohydrate diet, exercised again, and recovered 4 days on high-carbohydrate diet. Glycogen and glycogen synthase activities at several glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) concentrations were measured in biopsy samples of m. vastus lateralis. Dietary alterations alone did not affect glycogen, whereas exercise depleted glycogen stores. After the second exercise bout, glycogen returned to normal within 24 h and reached supercompensated levels by 48 h of recovery. Glycogen synthase activation state strikingly increased after exercise in exercised muscle and remained somewhat elevated for the first 48 h of recovery in both muscles. We suggest that 1) forms of glycogen synthase intermediate to I (G6P-independent) and D (G6P-dependent) forms are present in vivo, and 2) glycogen supercompensation can in part be explained by the formation of intermediate forms of glycogen synthase that exhibit relatively low activity ratios, but an increased sensitivity to activation by G6P.     

Focal brain ischemia in rat: acute changes in brain tissue T1 reflect acute increase in brain tissue water content

Several recent studies have reported changes of brain tissue T(1) in ischemic models during the first minutes after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). In order to assess whether these tissue T(1) changes are related to an increase in tissue water content, we performed T(1) (7 T) and tissue water content measurements in a rat model (n = 10, Sprague-Dawley) of focal cerebral ischemia (intraluminal occlusion model). The tissue water content was determined using a gravimetric technique. The animals were divided into two groups: an ischemic group, with an effective MCA occlusion (n = 6) and a control group, with animals having undergone sham surgery but no MCA occlusion (n = 4). In the ipsilateral cortex, the tissue water content was 81.1 +/- 0.7% at 2 h 15 min following ischemic insult (contralateral value: 79.3 +/- 0.5%). Concomitantly, the tissue T(1) in the ipsilateral cortex was 2062 +/- 60 ms at ischemia onset + 1 h (contralateral 1811 +/- 28 ms) and 2100 +/- 38 ms at ischemia onset + 2 h (contralateral 1807 +/- 18 ms). The tissue T(1) and tissue water content values measured in the contralateral area do not differ from the values obtained in the control group. A significant T(1) increase is observed at ischemia onset + 1 h (+ 14%) and ischemia onset (+ 2 h) + 16%, together with a significant increase in tissue water content (+ 2.3%). This suggests that there is an increase in tissue water content concomitant with cell swelling during the first hours of ischemia.     

Properties of motor units in nerve-intact autografts of cat extensor digitorum longus muscles

1. In cats, isometric contractile properties were measured on five extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles and four EDL muscle grafts 150-270 days after autografting with nerves intact. Comparisons were made between the properties of whole muscles and grafts and between 36 motor units in control EDL muscles and 41 motor units in grafts. 2. The time-to-peak twitch force (TPT) of 23 +/- 1.7 (SE) ms for grafts was significantly prolonged compared with the value of 17 +/- 0.7 ms observed for whole EDL muscles. The mean values for the TPT of motor units were not different from the respective values for whole grafts or for whole muscles. The maximum specific force of whole grafts of 19.7 +/- 0.6 (SE) N/cm2 was significantly less than the control value of 23.6 +/- 0.6 N/cm2, an observation consistent with all previous data on the maximum specific force of grafts and control muscles. 3. Based on the presence or absence of sag and an index of fatigue, motor units were classified as fast fatigable (FF), fast intermediate (FI), fast fatigue-resistant (FR), and slow (S). Motor units were classified 33% FF, 22% FI, 27% FR, and 17% S in control muscles and 17% FF, 43% FI, 29% FR, and 12% S in autografted muscles. Compared with control muscles, the number of small FF units increased significantly in the autografts, but no significant difference was observed in the fatigue properties of motor units.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Increased muscle glycogen content is associated with increased capacity to respond to T-system depolarisation in mechanically skinned skeletal muscle fibres from the rat

The ability of mechanically skinned muscle fibres from the rat to respond to T-system depolarisation was studied in relation to muscle glycogen content. Muscle glycogen was altered by incubating extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in Krebs solution without glucose or in Krebs solution with glucose (10 mM) and insulin (20 U.l-1). The glycogen content of muscles stored without glucose was rather stable between 30 and 480 min (11.27 +/- 0.39 mumol.g-1), while the muscles stored with glucose and insulin maintained an elevated and stable level of glycogen (23.48 +/- 1.67 mumol.g-1) between 100 and 360 min. Single mechanically skinned fibres from paired muscles, incubated in either glucose-free Krebs or in Krebs with glucose and insulin, were subjected to cycles of T-system depolarisation-repolarisation in a controlled environment (8 mM ATP, 10 mM creatine phosphate, 1 mM Mg2+, pH 7.10) and the force response was monitored until the force had declined to 50% of the maximum response (50% rundown). Fibres from muscles with a higher glycogen content reached 50% rundown after a larger number of depolarisations and displayed consistently larger average response capacity values, calculated as the sum of the force responses to 50% rundown divided by the maximum Ca(2+)-activated force response in that fibre. Thus skinned fibres originating from muscles with a higher glycogen content have an increased ability to respond to T-system depolarisation when the effect of metabolite accumulation is minimised and the function of glycogen acting as an energy source is by-passed. This provides direct support to the hypothesis that glycogen has a protective role in maintaining fibre excitability.     

Enzyme activities and muscle strength after "sprint training" in man.

Sprint type strength training was performed 3-4 times a week for 8 weeks by 4 healthy male students (16-18 yrs). The training was carried out on a treadmill at high speed and with high inclination. Muscle biopsies were obtained from vastus lateralis before and after the training period for histochemical classification of slow and fast twitch muscle fibres and for biochemical determination of metabolites and enzyme activities. Muscle fibre type distribution was unchanged, whereas fibre area indicated an increase for both fibre types in 3 subjects after training. The muscle enzyme activities of Mg2+ stimulated ATPase, myokinase and creatine phosphokinase increased 30, 20, and 36 percent, respectively. Muscle concentration of ATP and creatine phosphate (CP) did not change with training. Sargent's jump increased with on average 4 cm (from 47 to 51 cm), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with 19 kp (from 165 to 184 kp), and endurance at 50 percent of MVC with 9 s (from 47 to 56 s), respectively. After training all subjects showed a gain in body weight (mean 1.4 kg) and in thigh circumference (mean 1.5 cm) indicating a larger leg muscle volume and consequently also an increase in total ATP and CP.     

Atlas of the muscle motor points for the lower limb: implications for electrical stimulation procedures and electrode positioning

The aim of the study was to investigate the uniformity of the muscle motor point location for lower limb muscles in healthy subjects. Fifty-three subjects of both genders (age range: 18–50 years) were recruited. The muscle motor points were identified for the following ten muscles of the lower limb (dominant side): vastus medialis, rectus femoris, and vastus lateralis of the quadriceps femoris, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus of the hamstring muscles, tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, lateral and medial gastrocnemius. The muscle motor point was identified by scanning the skin surface with a stimulation pen electrode and corresponded to the location of the skin area above the muscle in which an electrical pulse evoked a muscle twitch with the least injected current. For each investigated muscle, 0.15 ms square pulses were delivered through the pen electrode at low current amplitude (<10 mA) and frequency (2 Hz). 16 motor points were identified in the 10 investigated muscles of almost all subjects: 3 motor points for the vastus lateralis, 2 motor points for rectus femoris, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, and tibialis anterior, 1 motor point for the remaining muscles. An important inter-individual variability was observed for the position of the following 4 out of 16 motor points: vastus lateralis (proximal), biceps femoris (short head), semimembranosus, and medial gastrocnemius. Possible implications for electrical stimulation procedures and electrode positioning different from those commonly applied for thigh and leg muscles are discussed.     

Neuronal pathways from group-I and -II muscle afferents innervating hindlimb muscles to motoneurons innervating trunk muscles in low-spinal cats

Synaptic inputs to motoneurons innervating the back and abdominal muscles in the lumbar part of the body from low-threshold hindlimb muscle afferents were studied in unanesthetized low-spinal cats. At a stimulus intensity of 1.2-1.5x threshold (T), which was sufficient to activate only group-I afferents, the incidence of post-synaptic potentials (PSPs) was higher when stimulating proximal muscle nerves than when stimulating distal muscle nerves (e.g., 52% versus 22% for motoneurons innervating m. iliocostalis lumborum: Ilio MNs; 38% versus 18% for motoneurons innervating m. obliquus externus: OEA MNs). At 2-5 T, at which group-II as well as group-I muscle afferents were presumably stimulated, the PSP incidence increased irrespective of nerves stimulated (e.g., 76% for Ilio MNs; 60% for OEA MNs). The minimal central latencies of EPSPs evoked at 1.2-1.5 T ranged 0.8-16.7 ms for Ilio motoneurons and 1.4 -14.2 ms for OEA motoneurons, indicating that the connection between back and abdominal motoneurons and low-threshold afferents from the hindlimb muscle include a monosynaptic one. The latencies of IPSPs were longer and ranged 1.9-18.8 ms for Ilio motoneurons and 2.4-15.8 ms for OEA motoneurons. Input patterns from various hindlimb muscles varied among individual motoneurons, even though they were within the same motoneuron pool. Such synaptic organization seems to differ from that for the leg motoneuron pool. The overall projection pattern of low-threshold afferents from leg muscles to lumbar back and abdominal motoneurons nevertheless suggests that group-I afferent inputs are related to lateral and vertical movements, and that group-II afferent inputs control the stiffness of the trunk.     

The Effects of Dietary Creatine Supplements on the Contractile Properties of Rat Soleus and Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscles

Daily creatine supplements (0.258 g kg(-1) ) were administered to adult male Wistar rats (n = 7) in the drinking water. Age matched rats (n = 6) acted as controls. After 5-6 days, contractile properties were examined in soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle strips in vitro at 30 degrees C. In soleus muscles, creatine supplements decreased the half-relaxation time of the isometric twitch from 53.6 +/- 4.3 ms in control muscles to 48.4 +/- 5.5 ms but had no effect on twitch or tetanic tension or on twitch contraction time. In EDL muscles twitch tension, tetanic tension, twitch contraction and half-relaxation times were all unaffected by creatine supplements. Creatine supplements increased the fatigue resistance of the soleus muscles but had no effect on that of the EDL muscles. After a 5 min low-frequency fatigue test, tension (expressed as a percentage of initial tension) was 56 +/- 3 % in control soleus muscles, whereas that in the creatine-supplemented muscles was 78 +/- 6 % (P < 0.01). In the EDL muscles, the corresponding values were 40 +/- 2 % and 41 +/- 9 %, respectively. The force potentiation which occurred in the EDL muscles during the initial 20-30 s of the fatigue test was 170 +/- 10 % of initial tension in the control muscles 24 s after the initial stimulus train but was reduced (P < 0.01) to 130 +/- 20 % in the creatine-supplemented muscles. In conclusion, soleus muscle endurance was increased by creatine supplements. EDL endurance was unaffected but force potentiation during repetitive stimulation was decreased. Experimental Physiology (2001) 86.2, 185-190.     

Ageing alters the myosin heavy chain composition of single fibres from human skeletal muscle

The myosin heavy chain composition of single fibres (n = 1088) was analysed with an electrophoretic technique in biopsy material from m. vastus lateralis (n = 5) and m. biceps brachii (n = 4) of young (23-31 years old) and elderly men (68-70 years old). In m. vastus lateralis, elderly subjects had a higher proportion of fibres showing a coexistence of myosin heavy chain types I and IIa (20 +/- 3% vs 8 +/- 1%, P less than 0.05) and of myosin heavy chain types IIa and IIb (33 +/- 2% vs 12 +/- 4%, P less than 0.05). In contrast, the young subjects had a higher proportion of fibres containing only myosin heavy chain type I (50 +/- 5% vs 33 +/- %, P less than 0.05) and type IIa (26 +/- 3% vs 12 +/- 2%, P less than 0.05). A similar pattern of myosin heavy chain expression was found in single fibres from m. biceps brachii, with the exception that the elderly subjects had a lower proportion of fibres with coexistence of types IIa and IIb (23 +/- 1% vs 34 +/- 2%, P less than 0.05) and a higher proportion of fibres containing only myosin heavy chain type IIa (25 +/- 5% vs 12 +/- 2%, P less than 0.05). Three fibres from m. biceps brachii contained all three isoforms. These results indicate that coexistence of myosin heavy chain isoforms in single fibres is present in skeletal muscles of young adults, and that there is an increased occurrence of this phenomenon with ageing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Human and rat skeletal muscle adaptations to spinal cord injury.

Results of studies of rodent skeletal muscle plasticity are often extrapolated to humans. However, responses to "disuse" may be species specific, in part because of different inherent properties of anatomically similar muscles. Thus, this study quantified human and rat m. vastus lateralis (VL) fiber adaptations to 11 weeks of spinal cord injury (SCI). The m. VL was taken from 8 young (54 d) male Charles River rats after T-9 laminectomy (n = 4) or sham surgery (n = 4). In addition, the m. VL was biopsied in 7 able-bodied and in 7 SCI humans (31.3 +/- 4.7 years, mean +/- SE). Samples were sectioned and fibers were analyzed for type (I, IIa, IIb/x), cross-sectional area (CSA), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), alpha-glycerol-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), and actomyosin adenosine triphosphatase (qATPase) activities. Rat fibers had 1.5- to 2-fold greater SDH and GPDH activities while their fibers were 60% the size of those in humans. The most striking differences, however, were the absence of slow fibers in the rat and its four-fold greater proportion of IIb/x fibers (80% vs. 16% of the CSA) compared to humans. SCI decreased SDH activity more in rats whereas atrophy and IIa to IIb/x fiber shift occurred to a greater extent in humans. It is suggested that the rat is a reasonable model for studying the predominant response to SCI, atrophy. However, its high proportion of IIb/x fibers limits evaluation of the mechanical consequences of shifting to "faster" contractile machinery after SCI.     

Synchronization of lower limb motor unit activity during walking in human subjects

Synchronization of motor unit activity was investigated during treadmill walking (speed: 3-4 km/h) in 25 healthy human subjects. Recordings were made by pairs of wire electrodes inserted into the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle and by pairs of surface electrodes placed over this muscle and a number of other lower limb muscles (soleus, gastrocnemius lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis). Short-lasting synchronization (average duration: 9.6 +/- 1.1 ms) was observed between spike trains generated from multiunit electromyographic (EMG) signals recorded by the wire electrodes in TA in eight of nine subjects. Synchronization with a slightly longer duration (12.8 +/- 1.2 ms) was also found in 13 of 14 subjects for paired TA surface EMG recordings. The duration and size of this synchronization was within the same range as that observed during tonic dorsiflexion in sitting subjects. There was no relationship between the amount of synchronization and the speed of walking. Synchronization was also observed for pairs of surface EMG recordings from different ankle plantarflexors (soleus, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius) and knee extensors (vastus lateralis and medialis of quadriceps), but not or rarely for paired recordings from ankle and knee muscles. The data demonstrate that human motor units within a muscle as well as synergistic muscles acting on the same joint receive a common synaptic drive during human gait. It is speculated that the common drive responsible for the motor unit synchronization during gait may be similar to that responsible for short-term synchronization during tonic voluntary contraction.     

Cat hindlimb motoneurons during locomotion. II. Normal activity patterns

Activity patterns were recorded from 51 motoneurons in the fifth lumbar ventral root of cats walking on a motorized treadmill at a range of speeds between 0.1 and 1.3 m/s. The muscle of destination of recorded motoneurons was identified by spike-triggered averaging of EMG recordings from each of the anterior thigh muscles. Forty-three motoneurons projected to one of the quadriceps (vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, or rectus femoris) or sartorius (anterior or medial) muscles of the anterior thigh. Anterior thigh motoneurons always discharged a single burst of action potentials per step cycle, even in multifunctional muscles (e.g., sartorius anterior) that exhibited more than one burst of EMG activity per step cycle. The instantaneous firing rates of most motoneurons were lowest upon recruitment and increased progressively during a burst, as long as the EMG was still increasing. Firing rates peaked midway through each burst and tended to decline toward the end of the burst. The initial, mean, and peak firing rates of single motoneurons typically increased for faster walking speeds. At any given walking speed, early recruited motoneurons typically reached higher firing rates than late recruited motoneurons. In contrast to decerebrated cats, initial doublets at the beginning of bursts were seen only rarely. In the 4/51 motoneurons that showed initial doublets, both the instantaneous frequency of the doublet and the probability of starting a burst with a doublet decreased for faster walking speeds. The modulations in firing rate of every motoneuron were found to be closely correlated to the smoothed electromyogram of its target muscle. For 32 identified motoneurons, the unit's instantaneous frequencygram was scaled linearly by computer to the rectified smoothed EMG recorded from each of the anterior thigh muscles. The covariance between unitary frequencygram and muscle EMG was computed for each muscle. Typically, the EMG profile of the target muscle accounted for 0.88-0.96 of the variance in unitary firing rate. The EMG profiles of the other anterior thigh muscles, when tested in the same way, usually accounted only for a significantly smaller fraction of the variance. Brief amplitude fluctuations observed in the EMG envelopes were usually also reflected in the individual motoneuron frequencygrams. To further demonstrate the relationship between unitary frequencygrams and EMG, EMG envelopes recorded during walking were used as templates to generate depolarizing currents that were applied intracellularly to lumbar motoneurons in an acute spinal preparation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Operation Everest III: energy and water balance

We hypothesized that hypoxia decreases energy intake and increases total energy requirement and, additionally, that decreased barometric pressure increases total water requirement. Energy and water balance was studied over 31 days in a hypobaric chamber at 452-253 Torr (corresponding to 4,500-8,848 m altitude), after 7 days acclimatization at 4,350 m. Subjects were eight men, age 27+/-4 years (mean+/-SD), body mass index 22.9+/-1.5 kg/m2. Food and water intake was measured with weighed dietary records, energy expenditure and water loss with labelled water. Insensible water loss was calculated as total water loss minus urinary and faecal water loss. Energy intake at normoxia was 13.6+/-1.8 MJ/d. Energy intake decreased from 10.4+/-2.1 to 8.3+/-1.9 MJ/d (P<0.001) and energy expenditure from 13.3+/-1.6 to 12.1+/-1.8 MJ/d (P<0.001) over the first and second 15-day intervals of progressive hypoxia. Absolute insensible water loss did not change (1.67+/-0.26 and 1.66+/-0.37 l/d), however, adjusted for energy expenditure it increased with ambient pressure reduction (P<0.05). In conclusion, hypoxia induced a negative energy balance, mainly by a reduction of energy intake. Overall insensible water loss was unchanged because the increase in respiratory evaporative water loss was counterbalanced by a decrease in metabolic rate that probably limited the hypoxia-induced increase in ventilation.     

Improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation in rat skeletal muscles after adrenaline infusion: role of glycogen content and PKB phosphorylation

AIM: Effects of in vivo adrenaline infusion on subsequent insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation was investigated in slow-twitch (soleus) and fast-twitch (epitrochlearis) muscles. Furthermore, role of glycogen content and Protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation for modulation insulin sensitivity was investigated. METHODS: Male Wistar rats received adrenaline from osmotic mini pumps ( approximately 150 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) for 1 or 12 days before muscles were removed for in vitro studies. RESULTS: Glucose uptake at physiological insulin concentration was elevated in both muscles after 1 and 12 days of adrenaline infusion. Insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase activation was also improved in both muscles. This elevated insulin sensitivity occurred despite the muscles were exposed to hyperglycaemia in vivo. After 1 day of adrenaline infusion, glycogen content was reduced in both muscles; insulin-stimulated PKB ser(473) phosphorylation was increased in both muscles only at the highest insulin concentration. After 12 days of adrenaline infusion, glycogen remained low in epitrochlearis, but returned to normal level in soleus; insulin-stimulated PKB phosphorylation was normal in both muscles. CONCLUSION: Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation were increased after adrenaline infusion. Increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation after adrenaline infusion cannot be explained by a reduction in glycogen content or an increase in PKB phosphorylation. The mechanisms for the improved insulin sensitivity after adrenaline treatment deserve particular attention as they occur in conjunction with hyperglycaemia.     

Sleep apnea in heart failure increases heart rate variability and sympathetic dominance

AIMS: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is common in heart failure and ventilation is known to influence heart rate. Our aims were to assess the influence of SDB on heart rate variability (HRV) and to determine whether central sleep apnea (CSA) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) produced different patterns of HRV. METHODS AND RESULTS: Overnight polysomnography was performed in 21 patients with heart failure and SDB. Two 10-minute segments each of SDB and stable breathing from each patient were visually identified and ECG signal exported for HRV analysis. SDB increased total power (TP) with very low frequency (VLF) power accounting for the greatest increase (1.89+/-0.54 vs 2.96+/-0.46 ms2, P <0.001); LF/HF ratio increased during SDB (1.2+/-1.0 vs 2.7+/-2.1, P <0.001). Compared to OSA, CSA was associated with lower absolute LF (2.10+/-0.47 vs 2.52+/-0.55 ms2, P = 0.049) and HF power (1.69+/-0.41 vs 2.34+/-0.58 ms2, P = 0.004), increased VLF% (78.9%+/-13.4% vs 60.9%+/-19.2%, P = 0.008), decreased HF% (6.9%+/-7.8% vs 16.0%+/-11.7%, P = 0.046) with a trend to higher LF/HF ratio. CONCLUSIONS: SDB increases HRV in the setting of increased sympathetic dominance. HRV in CSA and OSA have unique HRV patterns which are likely to reflect the different pathophysiological mechanisms involved.