Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Sex differences in rabbit masseter motoneuron firing behavior.

Arthur W English1, Charles G Widmer

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St., Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. art@cellbio.emory.edu

Journal of Neurobiology
|April 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Male rabbits show faster masseter motoneuron firing than females, suggesting a link between motoneuron activity and muscle fiber types. This difference may be influenced by androgens, impacting muscle characteristics.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

GABA and Glycine Synaptic Release on Axotomized Motoneuron Cell Bodies Promotes Motor Axon Regeneration.

The European journal of neuroscience·2025
Same author

Disruption of G3BP1 granules promotes mammalian CNS and PNS axon regeneration.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

GABA and glycine synaptic release on axotomized motoneuron cell bodies promotes motor axon regeneration.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Air-stepping in the neonatal mouse: a powerful tool for analyzing early stages of rhythmic limb movement development.

Journal of neurophysiology·2024
Same author

Proportions of four distinct classes of sensory neurons are retained even when axon regeneration is enhanced following peripheral nerve injury.

Frontiers in neuroanatomy·2023
Same author

Water-circulating probes significantly modify lesion length and axon damage in cooled radiofrequency ablations when compared with similar-sized standard radiofrequency probes in rats.

Regional anesthesia and pain medicine·2023

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Muscle Physiology
  • Comparative Biology

Background:

  • Sex differences exist in masseter muscle fiber composition.
  • The role of motoneuron activity in these sex differences is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sex-based differences in masseter motoneuron firing patterns in rabbits.
  • To determine if motoneuron behavior explains sex differences in muscle fiber phenotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded electromyography (EMG) from individual masseter motoneurons in adult male and female rabbits.
  • Analyzed motoneuron firing rates and durations during cortically evoked masticatory muscle activation.

Main Results:

  • Masseter motoneurons exhibited a wide range of firing rates and durations in both sexes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Adult male rabbits displayed significantly higher motoneuron firing rates compared to adult females.
  • No significant sex differences were observed in motoneuron firing duration.

    • Conclusions:

    • Higher motoneuron firing rates in males may contribute to observed sex differences in masseter muscle fiber phenotypes.
    • Androgen influence on motoneuron firing rate is a potential mechanism for sex-dimorphic muscle characteristics.
    • Further research is needed to elucidate direct androgen effects on motoneurons versus muscle fibers.