Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Motor unit firing behavior in man

Y Masakado1

  • 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.

The Keio Journal of Medicine
|September 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sensorimotor event-related desynchronization represents the excitability of human spinal motoneurons.

Neuroscience·2015
Same author

The origin of the premotor potential recorded from the second lumbrical.

Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology·2008
Same author

EEG-EMG coherence changes in postural tasks.

Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology·2008
Same author

Disorder of phase-related modulation of soleus H-reflex during hip movement in stroke patients.

Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology·2006
Same author

Post-activation depression of the soleus H-reflex in stroke patients.

Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology·2005
Same author

Passive movement of hip and knee joints decreases the amplitude of soleus H-reflex in stroke patients.

Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology·2004

Motor unit firing behavior differs between small and large muscles. Smaller muscles primarily use firing rate, while larger muscles rely on recruitment for force modulation, indicating uniform neural control.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Motor Control
  • Muscle Physiology

Background:

  • Understanding motor unit behavior is crucial for explaining force production.
  • The decomposition technique allows accurate analysis of motor unit firing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate motor unit firing behavior and force modulation strategies.
  • To compare motor unit recruitment and firing rates in different muscle sizes.
  • To explore neural control mechanisms of motor unit pools.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the decomposition technique to identify motor unit firing.
  • Analyzed motor unit recruitment thresholds and firing rates at various force levels.
  • Examined motor unit firing patterns during isometric contractions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Investigated the effects of cutaneous receptor stimulation.

    • Main Results:

    • Motor unit firing accuracy exceeds 80% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).
    • Higher recruitment threshold motor units exhibit lower firing rates.
    • Small muscles (e.g., hand) rely on firing rate for force >50% MVC.
    • Large muscles (e.g., leg) utilize recruitment up to 90% MVC.
    • Motor unit firing rates are highly correlated within a muscle, suggesting uniform neural control.
    • Cutaneous stimulation differentially affects low- and high-threshold motor units.

    Conclusions:

    • Muscle size dictates the primary strategy for force modulation: firing rate for small muscles, recruitment for large muscles.
    • The nervous system controls motor unit pools uniformly, not individual units.
    • Cutaneous reflexes modulate motor unit recruitment and firing based on threshold.