Motor unit discharge during muscular after-contraction

Discharges of single motor units (MUs) in human triceps brachii and deltoid muscle were recorded using needle electromyography during after-contraction and voluntary contraction performed either against a small elastic load or under isometry. The steady-state firing rate of the MUs was lower under after-contraction than during voluntary movement of comparable amplitude and time course (or isometric force level), whereas variability of interspike intervals was similar under the two conditions. In the tibialis anterior muscle (where after-contraction was lacking), a weak voluntary contraction preceded by sustained strong voluntary effort also showed lower firing rate of MUs as compared to similar voluntary movement performed after a rest period. We concluded that sustained contraction gave rise to peripheral potentiation of contractile properties of the muscle, irrespective of whether it was proximal or distal, whereas after-contraction was due to a central tonic drive that differed for proximal and distal muscles.