Isometric force generated by locust skeletal muscle: responses to single stimuli

A mathematical model of the locust hind leg extensor muscle is described. The model accounts for the force response of the muscle to well-separated input stimuli under isometric conditions. Experimental data was collected by stimulating the extensor muscle and measuring the force generated at the tibia. In developing a model it was assumed that the response to a single isolated stimulus was linear. A linear model was found to fit well to the response to an isolated stimulus. No assumptions were made about the model order and models of various order were fitted to data in the frequency domain, using a least squares fit. The stimulus can be approximated as an impulse, with the response to each stimulus well described by a linear second-order system. Using a third-order model provided a better fit to data, but the improvement in fit was marginal and the model uses one extra parameter. A fourth-order model, which is often used to describe the behaviour of isometric muscle was found to overfit the data. Using a second-order model provides a simpler way of describing the behaviour of an isometric twitch.