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Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Measuring Neuromuscular Junction Functionality
Published on: August 6, 2017
Nonparametric Model of Smooth Muscle Force Production During Electrical Stimulation
Marc Cole1, Steffen Eikenberry1,2, Takahide Kato3
11 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering , Los Angeles, California.
Abstract:
A nonparametric model of smooth muscle tension response to electrical stimulation was estimated using the Laguerre expansion technique of nonlinear system kernel estimation. The experimental data consisted of force responses of smooth muscle to energy-matched alternating single pulse and burst current stimuli. The burst stimuli led to at least a 10-fold increase in peak force in smooth muscle from Mytilus edulis, despite the constant energy constraint. A linear model did not fit the data. However, a second-order model fit the data accurately, so the higher-order models were not required to fit the data. Results showed that smooth muscle force response is not linearly related to the stimulation power.
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