Abstract
Fatigue brought about by intense muscular contraction typically is accompanied by a reduction in motor-unit firing rate. The decrease in motor-unit output with fatigue appears to be caused by two interacting processes: 1) a decline in the net excitatory drive to motoneurons and 2) adaptation in the responsiveness of motoneurons to synaptic input. Whether a reduction in motor-unit firing rate in itself contributes to force loss associated with fatigue, however, is an unresolved question. The neuromuscular wisdom hypothesis suggests that decreases in firing rate help to maintain force by optimizing the input to motor units as their contractile properties change. On the other hand, recent work indicates that mechanical function of some motor units is altered during prolonged activity such that diminished firing rate would augment force loss and, thereby, contribute to fatigue. Neural adaptations, therefore, may serve to limit the extent of muscular activity. NEUROSCIENTIST 2:203-206, 1996
Subject
Neurology (clinical),General Neuroscience
Reference34 articles.
1. Fatigue Brought on by Malfunction of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
2. Cellular mechanisms of muscle fatigue
3. Changes in motoneurone firing rates during sustained maximal voluntary contractions.
4. Windhorst U., Boorman G. Overview: potential role of segmental motor circuitry in muscle fatigue . In: Gandevia SC, Enoka RM, McComas AJ, Stuart DG, Thomas CK, editors. Fatigue: neural and muscular mechanisms. New York: Plenum Press 1995;241-258.
5. Burke RE Motor units: anatomy, physiology, and functional organization. In: Brooks VB, editor. Handbook of physiology. The nervous system [Sect. 1]. Vol. 2, Pt. 1. Bethesda, MD: American Physiological Society 1981;345-422.
Cited by
16 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献