Does electrical stimulation of denervated muscle, continued after reinnervation, influence recovery of contractile...

The study was conducted to determine if daily electrical stimulation of denervated muscle, initiated the day following crush denervation and continued for 8 weeks (i.e., 5 weeks after presumptive reinnervation), would influence denervation-associated alterations in muscle size and in situ contractile properties of rat gastrocnemius. A stimulation protocol of brief, strong, isometric contractions was designed to maximize the beneficial effects as described by previous authors. By 8 weeks after crush, unstimulated muscles were still significantly lighter in wet weight, were tetanically weaker, and showed slower isometric contractile responses in situ than controls. Denervated muscles which had been stimulated daily were heavier and tetanically stronger (the latter not different from controls) than those in the nonstimulated group. Muscle weights from groups of animals killed at 2 or 4 weeks after nerve crush indicated the major benefit of stimulation occurred during this initial 4-week period. In situ fatigue properties were unaffected by denervation or stimulation. A protocol of electrical stimulation-evoked strong contractions, initiated soon after denervation and continued after reinnervation, was effective in attenuating the strength-related, but not speed-related, changes in neuromuscular function resulting from denervation. These latter changes are presumably the result of loss of "neurotrophic influence" and/or continuous low-tension muscle activity lost as a result of denervation.