Mechanical Properties and Behaviour of Motor Units in the Tibialis Anterior During Voluntary Contractions

Abstract

The present work was carried out to analyse the properties and behaviour of Tibialis anterior motor units (MUs) during voluntary contractions in humans. A total of 528 single MU mechanical properties was recorded in 10 subjects by means of the spike-triggered averaging (STA) technique. MU recruitment thresholds and discharge frequencies were recorded during linearly increasing maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The results indicate a mean (±SD) MU torque of 25.5 ± 21.5 mN•m. and a mean time-to-peak of 45.6 ± 13.6 ms. A comparison of the average MU twitch torque with that of the muscle allowed an estimate of about 300 MUs in the Tibialis anterior. A positive linear relationship was recorded between the MU twitch torque and the recruitment threshold. The mean minimal and maximal discharge frequencies of MUs were 8.4 ± 3.0 Hz and 33.2 ± 14.7 Hz, respectively. The results of the present work indicate that MU behaviour during voluntary contractions is different in the tibialis anterior and in the adductor pollicis. Key words: discharge frequency, recruitment threshold, motor unit count