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Biomedical subjects

A Y Belanger

Publications and source records attributed to A Y Belanger.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Contractile properties of human skeletal muscle in childhood and adolescence.

Using a combination of single maximal stimuli and maximum voluntary contractions, a comparison has been made of muscle properties in pre- and post-pubertal male subjects. In the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles of the ankle, the twitch and maximum voluntary torques were approximately twice as large in the older subjects; the mean height and mean weight increased by factors of 1.20 and 1.86 respectively. The only other muscle parameter that changed, as a function of age, was the contraction time of the ankle dorsiflexors; the mean value was significantly longer in the older subjects. In the younger subjects, there were already clear differences between the dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles, the former developing smaller torques and having shorter contraction and half-relaxation times, greater post-activation potentiation and more susceptibility to fatigue. Even in the youngest subject, motor unit activation was complete in the ankle dorsiflexors; although this was not always true of the plantarflexors, the difference between the two subject groups was not significant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Neuromuscular function in limb girdle dystrophy.

The contractile properties of ankle dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles in 20 patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophy have been compared with those in matched controls. Twitch and voluntary torques were significantly smaller in the patient population and in nine patients it was impossible to record a twitch from tibialis anterior, a dorsiflexor muscle studied in detail. The disease process evidently ran a more rapid course in tibialis anterior than in plantarflexor muscles and this susceptibility was related to some aspect of the muscle other than its fibre type composition. Surviving fibres in dorsiflexor and plantarflexor muscles did not reveal evidence of excitation-contraction uncoupling; they exhibited normal post-activation potentiation and fatigue properties. Some patients were initially incapable of exciting their motor units maximally during voluntary contractions. A finding of possible pathogenetic significance was that one patient, with prominent calves, developed exceptionally large voluntary torque in his plantarflexor muscles.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Physiological properties of two antagonist human muscle groups.

The physiological features of two antagonistic muscle groups, the dorsiflexors (DF) and plantarflexors (PF) of the ankle, have been compared in 46 healthy subjects (31 men and 15 women) aged 19-65 years. The DF muscles, of which tibialis anterior (TA) was studied most thoroughly, had relatively small twitches, with moderately fast contraction and relaxation phases, and had marked post-activation potentiation; they were susceptible to fatigue during isometric exercise. The PF muscles had comparatively large twitches, with slow contraction and relaxation phases, and poor post-activation potentiation; they were more resistant to fatigue. Women differed from men in having smaller TA twitches and slower PF twitches; PF twitches were also slower in older subjects. The marked differences in physiological properties between DF and PF muscles contrasted with relatively modest histochemical differences found by ourselves and others.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1983

Contractile properties of muscles in myotonic dystrophy.

A study has been made of the contractile properties of plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles in 25 patients with myotonic dystrophy and in the same number of closely-matched control subjects. As anticipated, the mean torques developed during maximal voluntary contraction and during the isometric twitch were significantly reduced in the patient population, as were the mean amplitudes of the respective maximum muscle compound action potentials (M-waves). There was considerable variation in weakness between patients, however, and in some there was a striking discrepancy between the results for the plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles. It was also found that, in both muscle groups, the mean twitch contraction times were significantly shorter in patients than in controls, but no differences could be demonstrated in relation to fatiguability and post-activation of the twitch. Some patients had great difficulty in obtaining full activation of plantarflexor motor units but there was improvement with repeated effort.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Control of soleus motoneuron excitability during muscle stretch in man.

The relative contributions of intramuscular and extramuscular receptors to changes in the reflex excitability of soleus motoneurons, following muscle stretch, have been studied in man. It was found that reflex excitability was decreased by muscle stretch. The extent of the decrease was related to the amount of stretch, irrespective of whether the latter was produced by dorsiflexion of the ankle or by depression of the Achilles tendon with the ankle joint fixed. The results were unaffected by anaesthesia of the skin. It would appear that neither joint receptors nor cutaneous mechanoreceptors contribute significantly to the decrease in reflex excitability during ankle dorsiflexion and that the intramuscular receptors are mainly responsible for the effects observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Influence of joint position on ankle plantarflexion in humans.

The contractile properties of the triceps surae (medial and lateral gastrocnemii and soleus) have been studied in humans. In comparison with most other human muscles, the triceps complex had a slow twitch (mean contraction and half-relaxation times 112.4 +/- 11.1 and 99.6 +/- 14.4 ms, respectively) and a low tetanus fusion frequency (60 Hz). Stretching the muscle caused both the contraction and half-relaxation times to become longer. With the knee bent, the optimum length for torque development corresponded to almost full dorsiflexion of the ankle. Similar results were obtained with the knee extended. The optimum position of the ankle differed considerably from the position of the joint when the leg was at rest. Although the position of the ankle joint affected electromyographic (EMG) activity recorded during maximal voluntary contraction, there was little change in the EMG-to-M wave ratio.

Adult↗