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Procedures for Rat in situ Skeletal Muscle Contractile Properties
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Physics of muscle contraction.

M Caruel1, L Truskinovsky2

  • 1Université Paris Est, Modélisation et Simulation Multi Echelle, MSME CNRS-UMR 8208, 61 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil, France.

Reports on Progress in Physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)
|June 27, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Mechanics-centered models complement chemistry-based ones for muscle force generation. They reveal intertwined active and passive mechanisms, highlighting long-range interactions and criticality for muscle function.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Skeletal Muscle Physiology
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Muscle force generation is traditionally explained by chemistry-centered models.
  • Recent efforts explore mechanics-centered models to complement existing theories.
  • Understanding both active and passive mechanisms is crucial for a complete picture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and broaden recent efforts in mechanics-centered muscle force generation models.
  • To integrate insights from passive and active muscle force generation mechanisms.
  • To emphasize the role of mechanical modeling in understanding muscle function.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent research on mechanics-centered muscle models.
  • Modeling of passive force recovery using near-equilibrium Langevin dynamics.
  • Representation of active force generation using stochastic models far from equilibrium.

Main Results:

  • Passive force recovery involves collective folding-unfolding of bi-stable units.
  • Active force generation is ATP-dependent and occurs far from equilibrium.
  • Long-range interactions and criticality are vital for muscle response in isometric contractions.

Conclusions:

  • Mechanics-centered models provide crucial insights not obtainable from chemistry-centered approaches alone.
  • Active and passive muscle force generation processes are tightly intertwined.
  • Micro-scale mechanical modeling is essential for understanding muscle stability and function.