Piper rhythm in the activation of the gastrocnemius medialis during running

The presence of temporal rhythmicity in electromyographic (EMG) signals at frequencies of 35-60 Hz was initially noted by Piper (1907). This modulation and synchronization of motor unit activity is generally accepted to represent a centrally generated coding of motor commands. The purpose of this study was to resolve and quantify the Piper rhythm in the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle during running. EMG was recorded from the GM of 14 female runners during 1-h treadmill runs. The average wavelet transform was computed for EMG from series of steps taken at 2 min intervals throughout the run. The total intensity across three wavelets (center frequencies: 170, 218 and 271 Hz) was computed and a histogram indicating the incidence peaks in this signal was generated for each subject. In order to rule out effects of the analysis process, the process was repeated using simulated EMG data. Autocorrelations of the histograms were used to extract the frequency of the peaks resulting in rhythmicity at 25-55 Hz. The ability to measure superimposed rhythmicity in EMG signals during dynamic tasks allows investigation of the role of aspects of central drive during movement. In particular, the changes in central control during dynamic activities can be examined with this approach.