Architectural design, fiber-type composition, and innervation of the rat rectus abdominis muscle

The rectus abdominis muscle is architecturally compartmentalized by tendinous intersections and is supplied by multiple thoracic nerves. In this study, the rectus abdominis of the rat has been qualitatively and quantitatively examined with regard to muscle dimensions, fiber organization, fiber-type composition, and innervation. The muscle exhibits architectural heterogeneity and different patterns of innervation among its thoracic, epigastric, and hypogastric parts. The epigastric part, adherent to the rectus sheath via tendinous intersections, represents relatively simple design. It is formed by serially arranged compartments with shorter fibers, compared with the other parts. These compartments are segmentally supplied by thoracic nerves. The hypogastric part is more complex, forms an interdigitation of muscular slips, and has segmental distribution of thoracic nerves in mediolateral direction. The thoracic part much differs from the other parts. It has smaller cross-sectional areas, compartments composed of abundant nonspanning fibers with intrafascicular termination, and non-segmental distribution of thoracic nerves. In addition to these craniocaudal specializations among the three parts, the muscle exhibits mediolateral differences in fiber-type composition. Slow-twitch oxidative fibers are more densely distributed in the medial half region than the lateral, whereas fast-twitch glycolytic fibers follow an inverse pattern. The mediolateral differences in fiber-type composition as well as the craniocaudal specializations in architectural design and innervation imply regionally differentiated recruitments of the muscle in various behaviors.