Electromyographic evidence of two functional subdivisions in the rhesus monkey's flexor digitorum profundus

The main belly of the macaque's flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) is divided by a dissectible plane into radial and ulnar regions. The present report describes three findings which suggest that the radial and ulnar regions represent separate functional subdivisions of the FDP. First, electromyographic (EMG) recordings during individuated finger movements performed by rhesus monkeys demonstrated different patterns of activation in the radial versus the ulnar region of the FDP. Second, studies of single motor units discriminated from the parent EMG activity also suggested at least two differentially activated motoneuronal pools in the radial versus ulnar region. Third, the finger movements evoked by intramuscular stimulation, delivered through the recording electrodes, indicated that contraction of the radial versus ulnar region produces different patterns of tension on the finger tendons. Together these findings suggest that the radial and ulnar regions of the FDP provide differential tension on the finger tendons to individuate finger movements.