Force Steadiness: From Motor Units to Voluntary Actions
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025

A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance
Published on: March 19, 2020
1Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado
Abstract:
Voluntary actions are controlled by the synaptic inputs that are shared by pools of spinal motor neurons. The slow common oscillations in the discharge times of motor units due to these synaptic inputs are strongly correlated with the fluctuations in force during submaximal isometric contractions (force steadiness) and moderately associated with performance scores on some tests of motor function. However, there are key gaps in knowledge that limit the interpretation of differences in force steadiness.
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