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PubMed1979

Role of extracellular calcium in isometric contractions of the SHR aorta. Influence of age and antihypertensive treatment.

Isometric contractions induced by noradrenaline (NA), 1.8 X 10(-5) M or by potassium (K+), 127 mM were studied in paired ring-preparations of the thoracic aortae from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched normotensive Kyoto-Wistar rats. In rats aged 8--16 weeks, NA-induced contractions were significantly more dependent on extracellular calcium in preparations from the SHR than from the NWR, whereas K+induced contractions showed no difference. Relaxation studies revealed differences between SHR and NWR also in K+-induced contractions. Comparison of responses in NWRs aged 3--4 months and 10--12 months showed a significant increment in Ca++-dependency with age. This age-related difference was less pronounced in SHRs, but the effect of blockade of Ca++-influx by nifedipine was significantly stronger in the old than in the young SHR-aorta. Treatment with propranolol or hydrochlorothiazide + timolol + minoxidil for 4--5 months caused no significant reduction of blood pressure and no change in Ca++-dependency. In contrast, treatment with verapamil (60 mg/kg/day) for 12 months resulted in a significantly lower blood pressure in the treated SHRs than in their controls. A trend towards "nomrlization" of the Ca++-dependency in verapamil treated rats was also observed. The results suggest that an increased Ca++-dependency in the SHR aortae is present already at the age of 8--16 weeks, but becomes more pronounced with age. As an age-related increment in Ca++-dependency is also found in NWRs, the results suggest that the SHR aortae are "functionally" older than the NWR vessels already in young animals. Calcium antagonists seem to be effective in lowering blood pressure in SHRs and represent a promising approach to the treatment of hypertensive vascular disease.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of models explaining muscle activation patterns for isometric contractions.

One of the main problems in motor-control research is the muscle load sharing problem, which originates from the fact that the number of muscles spanning a joint exceeds the number of degrees of freedom of the joint. As a consequence, many different possibilities exist for the activation of muscles in order to produce a desired joint torque. Several models describing muscle activation have been hypothesized over the last few decades to solve this problem. This study presents theoretical analyses of the various models and compares the predictions of these models with new data on muscle activation patterns for isometric contractions in various directions. None of the existing models fitted the experimental data in all aspects. The best fit was obtained by models based on minimization of the squared sum of muscle forces ( summation operator(m)φ(2)(m), which is almost equivalent to the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse solution), muscle stress sigma ( summation operator(m)sigma(m)(2)) or muscle activation alpha ( summation operator(m)alpha(m)(2)). Since muscle activation patterns are different for isometric contractions and for movements, it could well be that other models or optimization criteria are better suited to describe muscle activation patterns for movements. The results of our simulations demonstrate that the predicted muscle activation patterns do not depend critically on the parameters in the model. This may explain why muscle activation patterns are highly stereotyped for all subjects irrespective of differences between subjects in many neuro-anatomical aspects, such as, for example, in the physiological cross-sectional area of muscle.

Models, Biological↗
PubMed2004

Biomimetic model of skeletal muscle isometric contraction: I. an energetic-viscoelastic model for the skeletal muscle isometric force twitch.

This paper describes a revision of the Hill-type muscle model so that it will describe the chemo-mechanical energy conversion process (energetic) and the internal-element stiffness variation (viscoelastic) during a skeletal muscle isometric force twitch contraction. The derivation of this energetic-viscoelastic model is described by a first-order linear ordinary differential equation with constant energetic and viscoelastic coefficients. The model has been implemented as part of a biomimetic model, which describes the excitation-contraction coupling necessary to drive the energetic-viscoelastic model. Finally, the energetic-viscoelastic model is validated by comparing its isometric force-time profile with that of various muscles reported in the literature.

Calcium↗
PubMed1996

Divergence of ventilatory responses to isometric contraction in anesthetized cats.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the initial ventilatory and phrenic nerve responses to isometric contraction of the triceps surae muscle of anesthetized cats are influenced by the pattern of the contraction. To address this, three different types of muscle contraction were evoked: (1) a high tension, continuous tetanic (HT-CT) contraction; (2) a moderate tension, continuous tetanic (MT-CT) contraction; and (3) high tension, intermittent tetanic (HT-IT) contractions. The duration of each contraction period was 60 sec. The MT-CT and HT-IT contractions increased minute volume (VE; 19 +/- 4% and 15 +/- 5%, respectively) within the first 15 sec. These increases were the result of rises in breathing frequency and tidal volume. However, only the MT-CT contraction increased phrenic activity (pVE) in the first 15 sec. By contrast, ventilation and phrenic nerve activity failed to increase within the first 15 sec of the HT-CT contraction. If fact, 'tidal' phrenic activity (pVT; -14 +/- 5%) decreased during the first 5 sec, and there was a tendency for tidal volume (VT; -8 +/- 5%), VE (-8 +/- 6%), and pVE (-16 +/- 8%) to fall. These data suggest that stimulation of muscle afferent fibers by static contraction can initially inhibit phrenic nerve activity, provided the activation is sustained and of sufficient intensity.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1993

Cardiovascular responses to sustained maximal isometric contractions of the finger flexors.

This study investigated cardiovascular responses to 2 min sustained submaximal (20% MVC) and maximal (100% MVC) voluntary isometric contractions of the finger flexors in healthy young women. Cardiovascular variables investigated were: heart rate (fc), mean arterial pressure (Pa), and stroke volume (SV). Doppler echocardiography was used to estimate SV from measures of aortic diameter (AD) and time-velocity integrals. Preliminary studies indicated that AD did not change significantly after 2 min sustained 100% MVC. Therefore, pre-exercise AD values were used to calculate SV before, during and after exercise. During the 2-min 100% MVC period, fc and Pa increased significantly during the first 30 s of contraction. fc then remained constant during the remainder of the 2-min contraction period, while Pa continued to rise. SV did not change significantly during the 100% MVC task but increased significantly during recovery from sustained 100% MVC. The data suggest that the magnitude of cardiovascular responses to isometric exercise is dependent on the specific task performed, and that there is a different pattern of response for fc, Pa, and SV during 20% and 100% MVC tasks. Unlike fc and Pa, SV did not change significantly during isometric exercise, but increased significantly after sustained 100% MVC.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Mandibular tremor during isometric contractions.

The purpose of this short review is to consider the various hypotheses that are attributed to genesis of physiological tremor seen in the human jaw during isometric contractions.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1995

Phonomyogram from single motor units during voluntary isometric contraction.

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the specific phonomyogram (PMG) of active motor units activated during voluntary isometric contractions. The electromyogram (EMG) and PMG were recorded from 87 anconeus motor units in 14 subjects. The elementary PMG from single motor units was analysed with a spike-triggered averaging technique. The electro-acoustical delay was 3.5 (SD 1.1) ms, which is within the range of values reported in the literature for PMG evoked by motor nerve stimulation. All motor units demonstrated a pattern of impulsive sounds with a duration of 87.2 (SD 10.7) ms. These results would imply that PMG is linked to the contractile activity of the motor units. These results also would suggest that PMG recorded from a contracting muscle in situ reflects the summation of elementary PMG during voluntary contraction more than the overall mechanical properties of the muscle.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1990

Electromechanical delay in the vastus lateralis muscle during dynamic isometric contractions.

Electromechanical delay (EMD) values were obtained using a cross-correlation technique for a series of 14 repetitive submaximal dynamic isometric contractions of the vastus lateralis performed by five subjects. To avoid a phase lag, which is introduced with one-way filtering, the EMG was processed with a bi-directional application of a second-order Butterworth filter. A mean EMD value of 86 ms (SD = 5.1 ms) was found. Moreover, contraction and relaxation delays were computed and compared. There was a significant difference between the contraction and relaxation delays (P less than 0.005). The mean contraction delay was 81.9 ms and the mean relaxation delay was 88.8 ms. Despite this significant difference, the computed contraction and relaxation delay values lie in the same range as the total phase lag, calculated with the cross-correlation technique. The magnitude of EMD values found supports the need to account for this delay when interpreting temporal aspects of patterns of intermuscular coordination.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Instability of motor unit firing rates during prolonged isometric contractions in human masseter.

The firing patterns of up to 4 concurrently active masseter motor units were studied with intramuscular electrodes during a continuous isometric contraction of 15 min duration, in which the subject maintained the mean firing rate of one selected unit at 10 Hz. With this paradigm the net excitation (i.e. mean firing rate) of one unit in the muscle was controlled. This served as the reference for the functional state of other active units during the prolonged contraction. With the mean firing rate of one unit in the muscle fixed, 58% of other active units showed a slow, statistically-significant change in mean firing rate over the 15 min. The initial firing rate of the units did not influence the change in rate. The original firing rate hierarchy, which in short-term contractions reflects the recruitment order, was altered during the prolonged contraction. The explanation for these differential changes in motoneuron net excitation is not clear; they could be intrinsic to the motoneurons or perhaps mediated by reflex pathways. The selective facilitation or suppression of some motor units with continuous activation means that the original size-structured combination of motor units can be modified during a prolonged contraction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Efficiency of light diffraction by cross-striated muscle fibers under stretch and during isometric contraction.

When light is diffracted by a single frog muscle fiber the intensities I kappa of the different orders kappa (kappa = 1,2,3) strongly depend on the angle between the axis of the incident beam and the fiber axis. Maximum intensity is not obtained with perpendicular incidence (omega = 0 degree) but at angles that can be calculated for each order number and sarcomere length using Bragg's formula. In analogy to techniques developed for x-ray structure analysis of mosaic crystals we have rotated the fiber around an axis perpendicular to the fiber axis and to the incident beam axis within an angular range delta omega = +/- 35 degrees and recorded the light intensities I kappa. Diffraction efficiencies defined as E kappa = integral of I kappa d omega were studied as a function of sarcomere length and during isometric contraction. The sarcomere length dependences of the efficiencies E kappa of the first three orders show characteristic trends. E1 increases with fiber stretch, E2 has a minimum at a sarcomere length near 2.8 micrometers, and E3 has a maximum near 2.5 micrometers. These trends as well as the observed efficiency ratios are in fairly good agreement with predictions by the intensity formula developed for x-ray structure analysis. During isometric contraction, the diffraction efficiencies of the fiber decrease, with the decreases becoming greater the higher the order number. These decreases might be caused by a longitudinal displacement of myofibrils of up to 0.4 micrometers. The efficiency of light diffraction strongly depends on the tonicity of the bathing fluid. Hypertonic (3/2 x normal) solution reduces E1 to less than half, hypotonic (2/3 x normal) solution increases E1 to almost twice the value obtained in normal Ringer's solution.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The time course and magnitude of blood flow changes in the human quadriceps muscles following isometric contraction.

Blood velocities in the human femoral artery were measured using pulsed bidirectional Doppler-ultrasound equipment before, during and after single isometric contractions of the quadriceps muscle group. After contraction periods lasting more than 20 s (long) and of tensions from 10% up to 75% of maximal voluntary contraction (m.v.c.), an increase in blood velocities of seven to eight times the resting level was observed. Estimated maximal volume flow to the whole leg during the post-contraction hyperaemic phase calculated from these blood velocity measurements and vessel diameter (measured with echo-ultrasound equipment) was in two of the subjects 2.4 l/min (female) and 4.4 l/min (male), respectively. In the latter, this estimate fitted very well with results obtained using a venous thermo-dilution method. When using computer tomography to estimate the volume of the quadriceps muscle group, the calculated maximum flow to this muscle group in the post-contraction hyperaemic phase was approximately 175 (female) and 185 (male) ml/min. 100 ml muscle, respectively. This was about forty times the estimated resting volume flow to this muscle of 4.7 (female) and 4.5 (male) ml/min. 100 ml muscle. The length of the post-contraction hyperaemia after short (less than 10 s) contraction periods was 12-13 s, by which time velocities had reached 25% above the precontraction level. After long contractions, the corresponding values were 23-25 s. By contrast, previous plethysmographic observations by others indicate that postcontraction hyperaemias following long contractions last 10-15 min. There was a marked difference between the times taken to reach maximal velocity in the hyperaemic phase when comparing short and long contractions. Maximal velocity was reached four to six cardiac cycles following short periods of contraction but during the very first heart beat after long periods of contractions. The present observations are compatible with the hypothesis that locally released metabolites or hormones play a dominant role in the regulation of the post-contraction hyperaemia. Since during the short contraction periods maximal velocity was reached only after some seconds, whereas with the longer contraction periods it was reached during the first heart beat, it is suggested that these metabolites are released at some distance from the resistance vessels and that some time is needed for diffusion.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Parametric coupling and generalized decoupling revealed by concurrent and successive isometric contractions of distal muscles.

In two experiments we examined the hypothesis of transient parametric coupling during the specification of peak forces of isometric contractions produced by the left and right hand. In the first experiment participants had to produce bimanual contractions with same and different target forces as rapidly as possible in response to an auditory signal; target forces were cued visually with variable cueing intervals. At short cueing intervals reaction times were longer when different peak forces had to be specified than when same peak forces were cued, and this reaction-time difference declined as the cueing interval was increased. Independent of the cueing interval intermanual correlations of peak forces, rise times, and reaction times were smaller in conditions with different peak forces than in those with same peak forces. In the second experiment imperative signals for left-hand and right-hand contractions were separated in time. Target forces for the first response were cued with variable cueing intervals, while for the second response the cues were presented simultaneously with the second imperative signal. Reaction time of the second response was longer when target forces for the two successive responses were different rather than same, and this reaction-time difference declined when the delay of the second signal was increased as well as when the cueing interval for the first response became longer. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a transient cross-talk between concurrent processes of peak-force specifications; in addition they indicate generalization of the decoupling required to specify different peak forces concurrently to the specification of temporal response characteristics and to processes of response initiation.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Reliability of maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing in a multicenter study of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Syntex/Synergen Neuroscience Joint Venture rhCNTF ALS Study Group.

Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) is becoming widely used for monitoring disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We evaluated the variability of MVIC in a large multicenter (29 sites) drug trial in ALS. Intra- and interrater variability were assessed twice during the 19-month study. Intrarater reliability increased from the first to the second test, approaching the reliability reported for a single experienced clinical evaluator, but interrater reliability did not. Multiple clinical evaluators in a single site increased the variability of MVIC measurements. Rigorous quality assurance standards and monitoring of clinical evaluators should be incorporated into the design of multicenter studies using MVIC, since low variability is necessary to detect a modest treatment effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Behaviour of motor units of human arm muscles: differences between slow isometric contraction and relaxation.

The behaviour of motor units in the m. biceps brachii (long head), in the m. brachialis and in the m. supinator during slow isometric contraction and relaxation was studied when subjects were performing different motor tasks. These tasks were: flexion of the elbow joint, supination of the forearm and exorotation of the humerus. Motor unit activity was recorded by means of bipolar fine wire electrodes. In the long head of the biceps, motor unit activity was recorded at medial, central and lateral sites. When the subject relaxed from flexion, the firing rate of motor units located in the biceps and the brachialis was always found to be lower than that at the corresponding level of flexion force during contraction. The firing rate during relaxation decreased slowly and almost linearly with force. However, during relaxation from supination or exorotation, the firing rate of motor units at medial and central locations in the biceps was more or less constant until decruitment. The firing rate of motor units of the supinator during relaxation from supination decreased slowly and was lower than during contraction. Motor units located medially and centrally in the biceps had decruitment thresholds for flexion that were lower than their recruitment thresholds. Motor units on the lateral side of the biceps did not show such a difference. In the brachialis decruitment thresholds for flexion were usually higher than the recruitment thresholds. Differences between decruitment and recruitment thresholds for motor units in the biceps were much more pronounced for supination and exorotation than for flexion. For motor units in the supinator the decruitment threshold during relaxation from supination was higher than the recruitment threshold. The time that had passed after the onset of firing of a motor unit did not influence its decruitment threshold. If, after complete relaxation, the exerted force was increased again, it appeared that the recruitment threshold was changed. It took about 4 s to reach the original recruitment threshold. It is concluded that the relation between the firing rate of a motor unit and total exerted force depends on the phase of contraction. This relation varies within a muscle and between muscles. Furthermore, the results indicate an interchange of activity within the motoneurone pools of the synergists involved in isometrical motor tasks.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2005

Change in muscle fascicle length influences the recruitment and discharge rate of motor units during isometric contractions.

This study examines the effect of fascicle length change on motor-unit recruitment and discharge rate in the human tibialis anterior (TA) during isometric contractions of various intensities. The torque produced during dorsiflexion and the surface and intramuscular electromyograms (EMGs) from the TA were recorded in eight subjects. The behavior of the same motor unit (n = 59) was compared at two ankle joint angles (+10 and -10 degrees around the ankle neutral position). Muscle fascicle length of the TA was measured noninvasively using ultrasonography recordings. When the ankle angle was moved from 10 degrees plantarflexion to 10 degrees dorsiflexion, the torque produced during maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) was significantly reduced [35.2 +/- 3.3 vs. 44.3 +/- 4.2 (SD) Nm; P < 0.001] and the average surface EMG increased (0.47 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.43 +/- 0.06 mV; P < 0.05). At reduced ankle joint angle, muscle fascicle length declined by 12.7% (P < 0.01) at rest and by 18.9% (P < 0.001) during MVC. Motor units were activated at a lower recruitment threshold for short compared with long muscle fascicle length, either when expressed in absolute values (2.1 +/- 2.5 vs. 3.6 +/- 3.7 Nm; P < 0.001) or relative to their respective MVC (5.2 +/- 6.1 vs. 8.8 +/- 9.0%). Higher discharge rate and additional motor-unit recruitment were observed at a given absolute or relative torque when muscle fascicles were shortened. However, the data indicate that increased rate coding was mainly present at low torque level (<10% MVC), when the muscle-tendon complex was compliant, whereas recruitment of additional motor units played a dominant role at higher torque level and decreased compliance (10-35% MVC). Taken together, the results suggest that the central command is modulated by the afferent proprioceptive information during submaximal contractions performed at different muscle fascicle lengths.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1989

Fluctuations in motor unit recruitment threshold during slow isometric contractions of wrist extensor muscles in man.

Motor unit activity was recorded in the two extensor carpi radialis muscles with metal microelectrodes during isometric contractions. When tested at different 'free' increasing contraction velocities the recruitment thresholds (rt) systematically decreased, whereas when tested at different 'imposed' increasing velocities the rt exhibited great variability, with no observable overall tendency. Moreover, when measured at a given test velocity imposed periodically during MU investigation, rt also displayed great variability. These results suggest that the notion of rt tends to be oversimplified. The motoneurone pool excitability is highly dependent on both the experimental situation and the complexity of the motor task.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Myosin head orientation and mobility during isometric contraction: effects of osmotic compression.

We have correlated the mobility and the generation of force of myosin heads by applying radial compression to isometrically contracting muscle fibers. Osmotic pressure was produced by dextran T-500, and its effect on the orientation and mobility of myosin heads labeled with N-(1-oxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-pyperidinyl)maleimide was observed by conventional and saturation-transfer electron paramagnetic resonance methods. A biphasic behavior is spectral changes coinciding with the tension dependence was observed as the fibers were compressed. At diameters above the equilibrium spacing, the large myosin head disorder characteristic during contraction in the absence of compression was largely maintained, whereas the mobility decreased threefold, from tauR approximately 25 microseconds to approximately 80-90 microseconds. The inhibition of fast microsecond motions was not accompanied by tension loss, implying that these motions are not necessary for force generation. At diameters below the equilibrium spacing, both the disorder and the mobility decreased dramatically in parallel with the tension inhibition, suggesting that slower microsecond motions and the disorder of the myosin head are necessary for muscle function.

Animals↗