Contractile properties of human motor units: Is man a cat?

Neuroscientist

Volumn 4, Issue 4, 1998, Pages 240-249

  Bigland Ritchie, Brenda ^a,d   Fuglevand, Andrew J ^b   Thomas, Christine K ^c  

^a YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI   (United States)

^d NONE   (United States)

Author keywords

Contractile speed; Fatigue resistance; Force; Motor unit recruitment; Unit classification

Indexed keywords

ANIMAL TISSUE; CAT; FATIGUE; HISTOCHEMISTRY; HUMAN; HUMAN TISSUE; MOTOR UNIT; MUSCLE TWITCH; MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM; NERVE CONDUCTION; NERVE STIMULATION; NONHUMAN; REFLEX RECRUITMENT; REVIEW; VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT;

EID: 0031874980     PISSN: 10738584     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/107385849800400413     Document Type: Review

References (72)

1. Burke RE, Levine DN, Tsairis P, Zajac III FE. Physiological types and histochemical profiles in motor units of the cat gastrocnemius. J Physiol (Lond) 1973;234:723-748.
2. Thomas CK, Johansson RS, Bigland-Ritchie B. Attempts to physiologically classify human thenar motor units. J Neurophysiol 1991;65:1501-1508.
3. Buchthal F, Schmalbruch H. Motor units of mammalian muscle. Physiol Rev 1980; 60:91-142.
4. Larsson L. Is the motor unit uniform? Acta Physiol Scand, 1992;144:143-154.
5. Wuerker RB, McPhedran AM, Henneman E. Properties of motor units in a heterogeneous pale muscle (m. gastrocnemius) of the cat. J Neurophysiol 1965;28:85-99.
6. Bodine SC, Roy RR, Eldred E, Edgerton VR. Maximal force as a function of anatomical features of motor units in the cat tibialis anterior. J Neurophysiol 1987;57: 1730-1745.
7. Kanda K, Hashizume K. Factors causing difference in force output among motor units in the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle. J Physiol 1992;448:677-695.
8. McDonagh JC, Binder MD, Reinking RM, Stuart DG. A commentary on muscle unit properties in cat hindlimb muscles. J Morphology 1980;166:217-230.
9. Burke RE. Motor units: anatomy, physiology and functional organization. In: Brookhart JM, Mountcastle VB, Brooks VB, Geiger SR, editors. Handbook of Physiology. Section I: The nervous system, Volume II, Part 1. Bethesda (MD): American Physiological Society; 1981. p. 345-422.
10. Reinking RM, Stephens JA, Stuart DG. The motor units of cat medial gastrocnemius: problem of their categorisation on the basis of mechanical properties. Exp Brain Res 1975;23:301-313.
11. Gordon T, Stein RB, Thomas CK. Organization of motor units following cross-reinnervation of antagonistic muscles in the cat hind limb. J Physiol (Lond) 1986; 374:443-456.
12. Westling G, Johansson RS, Thomas CK, Bigland-Ritchie B. Measurement of contractile and electrical properties of single human thenar motor units in response to intraneural motor-axon stimulation. J Neurophysiol 1990;64:1331-1338.
13. Taylor A, Stephens JA. Study of human motor unit contractions by controlled intramuscular micro-stimulation. Brain Res 1976;117:331-335.
14. Sica REP, McComas AJ. Fast and slow twitch units in a human muscle. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr 1971;34:113-120.
15. Doherty TJ, Brown WF. A method for the longitudinal study of human thenar motor units. Muscle Nerve 1994;17:1029-1036.
16. Milner-Brown HS, Stein RB, Yemm R. The orderly recruitment of human motor units during voluntary isometric contractions. J Physiol 1973;230:359-370.
17. Thomas CK, Ross BH, Calancie B. Human motor-unit recruitment during isometric contractions and repeated dynamic movements. J Neurophysiol 1987;57:311-324.
18. Riek S, Bawa P. Recruitment of motor units in human forearm extensors. J Neurophysiol 1992;68:100-108.
19. Yemm R. The orderly recruitment of motor units of the masseter and temporal muscles during voluntary isometric contractions in man. J Physiol (Lond) 1977; 265:163-174.
20. Gordon T, Stein RB. Reorganization of motor-unit properties in reinnervated muscles of the cat. J Neurophysiol 1982; 48:1175-1190.
21. Stein RB, French AS, Mannard D, Yemm R. New methods for analyzing motor function in man and animals. Brain Res 1972;40:187-192.
22. Stephens JA, Usherwood TP. The mechanical properties of human motor units with special reference to their fatiguability and recruitment threshold. Brain Res 1977;125:91-97.
23. Andreassen S, Bar-on E. Estimation of motor unit twitches. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 1983;30:742-748.
24. Calancie B, Bawa P. Limitations of the spike-triggered averaging technique. Muscle Nerve 1986;9:78-83.
25. Nordstrom MA, Miles TS, Veale JL. Effect of motor unit firing pattern on twitches obtained by spike-triggered averaging. Muscle Nerve 1989;12:556-567.
26. Thomas CK, Bigland-Ritchie B, Westling G, Johansson RS. A comparison of human thenar motor unit properties studied by intraneural motor-axon stimulation and spike-triggered averaging. J Neurophysiol 1990;64:1347-1351.
27. Garnett RAF, O'Donovan MJ, Stephens JA, Taylor A. Motor unit organization of human medial gastrocnemius. J Physiol (Lond) 1979;287:33-43.
28. Elek JM, Kossev A, Dengler R, Schubert M, Wohlfahrt K, Wolf W. Parameters of human motor unit twitches obtained by intramuscular microstimulation. Neuromuscular Disorders 1992;2:261-267.
29. Mateika JH, Essif EG, DelloRusso C, Fregosi RF. Contractile properties of human nasal dilator motor units. J Neurophysiol 1997;79:371-378.
30. Vallbo A, Hagbarth K-E. Activity from skin mechanoreceptors recorded percutaneously in awake human subjects. Exp Neurol 1968;21:270-289.
31. Thomas CK, Johansson RS, Westling G, Bigland-Ritchie B. Twitch properties of human thenar motor units measured in response to intraneural motor-axon stimulation. J Neurophysiol 1990;64:1339-1346.
32. Thomas CK, Bigland-Ritchie B, Johansson RS. Force-frequency relationships of human thenar motor units. J Neurophysiol 1991;65:1509-1516.
33. Macefield VG, Fuglevand AJ, Bigland-Ritchie B. Contractile properties of single motor units in human toe extensors assessed by intraneural motor axon stimulation. J Neurophysiol 1996;75:2509-2519.
34. Fuglevand AJ, Macefield VG, Bigland-Ritchie B. Force-frequency and fatigue properties in human long finger flexor motor units. Soc Neurosci Abst 1995;21: 1435.
35. Johnson MA, Polgar J, Weightman D, Appleton D. Data on the distribution of fibre types in thirty-six human muscles. An autopsy study. J Neurol Sci 1973;18: 111-129.
36. Zajac FE, Faden JS. Relationship among recruitment order, axonal conduction velocity and muscle-unit properties of type-identified motor units in cat plantaris muscle. J Neurophysiol 1985;53:1303-1322.
37. Jami L, Petit J. Correlation between axonal conduction velocity and tetanic tension of motor units in four muscles of the cat hind limb. Brain Res 1975;96:114-118.
38. Emonet-Denand F, Hunt CC, Petit J, Pollin P. Proportion of fatigue-resistant motor units in hindlimb muscles of cat, their relation to axonal conduction velocity. J Physiol (Lond) 1988;400:135-158.
39. Sunderland S. Nerve and nerve injuries. London: Livingston; 1978.
40. Andreassen S, Arendt-Neilsen L. Muscle fibre conduction velocity in motor units of the human anterior tibial muscle: a new size parameter. J Physiol (Lond) 1987; 391:561-571.
41. Totosy de Zepetnek JE, Zung HR, Erdebil S, Gordon T. Motor-unit categorization based on contractile and histochemical properties: a glycogen depletion analysis of normal and reinnervated rat tibialis anterior muscle. J Neurophysiol 1992;67: 1404-1415.
42. Bakels R, Kernell D. Average but not continuous speed match between motoneurons and muscle units of rat tibialis anterior. J Neurophysiol 1993;70:1300-1306.
43. Olson CB, Swett Jr CP. A functional and histochemical characterization of motor units in a heterogeneous muscle (flexor digitorum longus) of the cat. J Comp Neurol 1966;128:475-498.
44. Kernell D, Eerbeek O, Verhey BA. Motor unit categorization on basis of contractile properties: an experimental analysis of the composition of the cat's m. peroneus longus. Exp Brain Res 1983;50:211-219.
45. Botterman BR, Iwamoto GA, Gonyea WJ. Classification of motor units in flexor carpi radialis muscle of the cat. J Neurophysiol 1985;54:676-690.
46. Gardiner PF. Physiological properties of motoneurons innervating different muscle unit types in rat gastrocnemius. J Neurophysiol 1993;69:1160-1170.
47. Lev-Tov A, Pratt CA, Burke RE. The motor-unit population of the cat tenuissimus muscle. J Neurophysiol 1988;59:1128-1142.
48. Pettigrew FP, Noble EG. Shifts in rat plantaris motor unit characteristics with aging and compensatory overload. J Appl Physiol 1991;71:2363-2368.
49. Van de Graaff KM, Frederick EC, Williamson RG, Goslow GE. Motor units and fiber types of primary ankle extensors of the skunk. J Neurophysiol 1977;40: 1424-1431.
50. Fritz N, Schmidt C. Contractile properties of single motor units in two multi-tendoned muscles of the cat distal forelimb. Exp Brain Res 1992;88:401-110.
51. Goslow GE, Cameron WE, Stuart DG. The fast twitch motor units of cat ankle flexors. 1. Tripartite classification on basis of fatigability. Brain Res 1977;134:35-46.
52. Kwa SHS, Weijs WA, Juch PJW. Contraction characteristics and myosin heavy chain composition of rabbit masseter motor units. J Neurophysiol 1995;73:538-549.
53. Gillespie MJ, Gordon T, Murphy PR. Reinnervation of the lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the rat by their common nerve. J Physiol (Lond) 1986; 372:485-500.
54. Fleshman JW, Munson JB, Sypert GW, Friedman WA, Rheobase, input resistance, and motor-unit type in medial gastrocnemius motoneurons in the cat. J Neurophysiol 1981;46:1326-1338.
55. Kimura J, Yanagisawa H, Yamada T, Mitsudome A, Sasaki H, Kimura A. Is the F wave elicited in a select group of motoneurons? Muscle Nerve 1984;7:392-399.
56. Johansson RS, Vallbo A. Tactile sensory coding in the glabrous skin of the human hand. Trends Neurosci 1983;6:27-32.
57. McDonagh JC, Binder MD, Reinking RM, Stuart DG. Tetrapartite classification of motor units of cat tibialis posterior. J Neurophysiol 1980;44:696-712.
58. Dengler R, Stein RB, Thomas CK. Axonal conduction velocity and force of single human motor units, Muscle Nerve 1988;11:136-145.
59. Bellemare F, Woods JJ, Johansson R, Bigland-Ritchie B, Motor unit discharge rates in maximal voluntary contractions of three human muscles. J Neurophysiol 1983;50:1380-1392.
60. Saltin B, Gollnick PD, Skeletal muscle adaptability; significance for metabolism and performance. In: Geiger SR, Adrian RH, editors. Handbook of physiology (Peachey LD, section editor. Section 10, Skeletal muscle). Specialization, adaptation, and disease. Bethesda (MD): American Physiological Society; 1983. p. 555-631.
61. Rice CL, Cunningham DA, Taylor AW, Paterson DH. Comparison of the histochemical and contractile properties of human triceps surae. Eur J Appl Physiol 1988;58:165-170.
62. Brooke MH, Engel WK. The histographic analysis of human muscle biopsies with regard to fiber types. 2. Diseases of the upper and lower motor neuron. Neurology 1969;19:378-393.
63. Dubowitz V. Muscle biopsy, a practical approach. 2nd ed. London: Bailliere Tindall; 1985.
64. Totosy de Zepetnek JE, Zung HR, Erdebil S, Gordon T. Innervation ratio is an important determinant of force in normal and reinnervated rat tibialis anterior muscle. J Neurophysiol 1992;67:1385-1403.
65. Kukulka CG, Clamann HP. Comparison of the recruitment and discharge properties of motor units in human brachial biceps and adductor pollicis during isometric contractions. Brain Res 1981;219:45-55.
66. Cope TC, Clark BD. Motor-unit recruitment in the decerebrate cat: several unit properties are equally good predictors of order. J Neurophysiol 1991;66:1127-1138
67. Botterman BR, Iwamoto GA, Gonyea WJ. Gradation of isometric tension by different activation rates in motor units of cat flexor carpi radialis muscle. J Neurophysiol 1986;56:494-506.
68. Kernell D, Eerbeek O, Verhey BA. Relation between isometric force and stimulation rate in cat hindlimb motor units of different twitch contraction time. Exp Brain Res 1986;50:220-506.
69. Woods JJ, Furbush F, Bigland-Ritchie B. Evidence for a fatigue-induced reflex inhibition of moto-neuron firing rates. J Neurophysiol 1987;58:125-136.
70. Bigland-Ritchie B. Regulation of motoneuron firing rates in fatigue. In: Sargent AJ, Kernell D, editors. Current problems in neuromuscular fatigue. Royal Netherlands Academy of Science. Amsterdam: Royal Netherlands Academy of Science; 1993, p. 147-155.
71. Patel TJ, Lieber RL. Force transmission in skeletal muscle. In: Holloszy JO, editor. Exercise, sports sciences reviews. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1997;25: 321-363.
72. Clamann HP, Schelhorn TB. Nonlinear force addition of newly recruited motor units in the cat hind-limb. Muscle Nerve 1988;11:1079-1089.