PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Isometric Contraction”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources

Maintenance of uncued isometric contractions by blind and sighted.

A comparison of 10 blind and 10 sighted subjects to a proprioceptive task was examined by analysis of response to maintenance of uncued static contractions. In attempting to sustain hand-grip tensions at specified percentages of maximum voluntary contraction, blind and sighted groups showed no significant difference in performance.

Adult↗

Characteristics of synergic relations during isometric contractions of human elbow muscles.

We studied the patterns of EMG activity in elbow muscles in three normal human subjects. The myoelectrical activity of 7-10 muscles that act across the human elbow joint was simultaneously recorded with intramuscular electrodes during isometric joint torques exerted over a range of directions. These directions included flexion, extension, varus (internal humeral rotation), valgus (external humeral rotation), and several intermediate directions. The forces developed at the wrist covered a range of 360 degrees, all orthogonal to the long axis of the forearm. The levels of EMG activity were observed to increase with increasing joint torque in an approximately linear manner. All muscles were active for ranges less than 360 degrees and most were active for less than 180 degrees. The EMG activity was observed to vary in a systematic manner with changes in torque direction and, when examined over the full angular range at a variety of torque levels, is simply scaled with increasing torque magnitude. There were no torque directions or torque magnitudes for which a single muscle was observed to be active alone. In all cases, joint torque appeared to be produced by a combination of muscles. The direction for which the EMG of a muscle reached a maximum value was observed to correspond to the direction of greatest mechanical advantage as predicted by a simple mechanical model of the elbow and relevant muscles. Muscles were relatively inactive during varus torques. This implies that the muscles were not acting to stabilize the joint in this direction and could have been allowing ligaments to carry the load. Plots of EMG activity in one muscle against EMG activity in another demonstrate some instances of pure synergies, but patterns of coactivation for most muscles are more complicated and vary with torque direction. The complexity of these patterns raises the possibility that synergies are determined by the task and may have no independent existence. Activity in two heads of triceps brachii (medial head--a single-joint muscle and long head--a two-joint muscle) covaried closely for a range of torque magnitudes and directions, though shoulder torque and hence the forces experienced by the long head of the triceps undoubtedly varied. The similarity of activation patterns indicates that elbow torque was the principal determining factor. The origins of muscle synergies are discussed. It is suggested that they are best understood on the basis of a model which encodes limb torque in premotor neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Elbow Joint↗

Role of nitric oxide in isometric contraction properties of rat diaphragm during hypoxia.

Hypoxia disturbs Ca(2+) regulation and increases the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), which may in turn activate the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) regulated by [Ca(2+)](i). Since nitric oxide (NO) reduces the isometric contractility of rat diaphragm in vitro, we hypothesized that NO contributes to the impaired force generation of an hypoxic diaphragm. The effects of different concentrations of the NOS inhibitor, N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), the NO scavenger haemoglobin (150 micro mol.l(-1)) and the NO donor spermine NONOate (Sp-NO; 1 mmol.l(-1)) were determined on isometric contractility during hypoxia [partial pressure of oxygen, PO(2), about 7 kPa (about 54 mmHg)] and hyperoxia [ PO(2) about 83 kPa (about 639 mmHg)]. Hypoxia significantly reduced maximal twitch force ( F(t)), and submaximal tetanic force (30 Hz, F(30)) in all L-NMMA groups. A low concentration of L-NMMA (30 micromol.l(-1)) increased F(30) but a high concentration (1,000 micromol.l(-1)) reduced F(30) during hypoxia. The effects of L-NMMA on force generation were more pronounced during hypoxia compared to hyperoxia. Peak increases in F(30) and F(t) were observed at a concentration of 30 micromol.l(-1) L-NMMA during hypoxia, but with 10 micromol.l(-1) L-NMMA during hyperoxia. The same concentration of haemoglobin increased F(30) and F(t) less during hypoxia compared to hyperoxia. The Sp-NO reduced F(t), F(30) and maximal tetanic force (F(0)) during hypoxia; these effects were abolished in the presence of haemoglobin. The Sp-NO did not alter F(t), F(30) and F(0)during hyperoxia. We conclude that NO plays a more prominent role during hypoxia and that NO contributes to the depression of force generation in the hypoxic rat diaphragm in vitro. This change may be related to an elevated NO generation within the hypoxic diaphragm.

Animals↗

Smooth muscle energetic in the pig coronary artery during a calcium-dependent and a calcium-independent isometric contraction.

Heat production by resting smooth muscle, was measured with a heat-flux micro calorimeter on cut-open segments of pig coronary artery superfused at 30 degrees C, was 0.93+/-0.06 (n=16) mW/g wet weight. Time courses of the increases in isometric tension and heat production with respect to basal during sustained supra maximal acetylcholine stimulation were qualitatively similar: initial peak tapering down to a supra basal plateau. Mean tension-associated heat production over 1 h was 0.16 J/g. During sustained exposure to phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, supra basal tension and--with a 5-10 min initial delay--supra basal heat progressively increased to a plateau in about 40 min. Mean tension-associated heat production over 1 h was only 0.02 J/g with normal extracellular and intracellular mobilizable Ca2+ pools, and it was further reduced to 0.01 J/g with depleted Ca2+ pools. These results show that the maintenance--if not necessarily the building up--of tension under phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate does not entail any large dissipation of energy and is not dependent on the presence of normal Ca2+ pools.

Acetylcholine↗

Reexamination of the relationship between the surface integrated electromyogram (IEMG) and force of isometric contraction.

The integrated electromyogram (IEMG)--force relationships were studied in 26 physically active young men across the entire domain of forces in the elbow flexor group. All possible error factors (fatigue, muscle length, and co-contraction) were controlled to the greatest extent possible. The experimental conditions were more clearly defined than in previous experiments. The results confirm earlier observations of a linear relationship between IEMG and isometric force, under these experimental conditions and using a unipolar lead system. Highly significant correlations were found. Possible methodological error factors were studied. Bipolar recording produced a curvilinear, relationship which may explain some of the discrepancies of results reported in the literature.

Adolescent↗

Differential activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathways by isometric contractions in isolated slow- and fast-twitch rat skeletal muscle.

Activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases has been implicated in the signal transduction pathways linking exercise to adaptive changes of muscle protein expression. In the present study, we investigated whether contractions of isolated muscles induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and p38 MAPK in a fibre-type dependent manner. Slow-twitch (soleus) and fast-twitch (epitrochlearis, extensor digitorum longus) rat skeletal muscles were exposed to intermittent tetanic stimulation. Compared with the contralateral non-stimulated muscle, contractions increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation to the same extent in fast- and slow-twitch muscles. Significant increase in phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was observed in the fast-twitch muscles only. The total amount of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK proteins was higher in the slow-twitch soleus muscle. In conclusion, MAP kinase signalling pathways are differentially activated and expressed in slow- and fast-twitch muscles. In addition, this activation is owing to muscle contraction per se and do not demand additional external influence.

Animals↗

Sympathetic control of the forearm blood flow in man during brief isometric contractions.

Experiments were performed to assess the possible neurally mediated constriction in active skeletal muscle during isometric hand-grip contractions. Forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography on 5 volunteers who exerted a series of repeated contractions of 4 s duration every 12 s at 60% of their maximum strength of fatigue. The blood flows increased initially, but then remained constant at 20-24 ml X min(-1) X 100 ml(-1) throughout the exercise even though mean arterial blood pressure reached 21-23 kPa (160-170 mm Hg). When the same exercise was performed after arterial infusion of phentolamine, forearm blood flow increased steadily to near maximal levels of 38.7 +/- 1.4 ml X min(-1) X 100 ml(-1). Venous catecholamines, principally norepinephrine, increased throughout exercise, reaching peak values of 983 +/- 258 pg X ml(-1) at fatigue. Of the vasoactive substances measured, the concentration of K+ and osmolarity in venous plasma also increased initially and reached a steady-state during the exercise but ATP increased steadily throughout the exercise. These data indicate a continually increasing alpha-adrenergic constriction to the vascular beds in active muscles in the human forearm during isometric exercise, that is only partially counteracted by vasoactive metabolites.

Adult↗

Sensitivity of cultured and skinned chick myotube to calcium, strontium, and barium ions examined by recording isometric contractions.

Sensitivity of cultured chick myotubes to alkaline earth metal ions was investigated by recording contractile isometric tension through a semiconductor transducer. The myotubes were obtained by culturing myoblasts of chick embryo breast muscles, and skinned chemically before physiological experiments. Contractions developed in response to Ca2+ in a bathing medium higher than 3 x 10(-7) M and reached maximum at 1 x 10(-5) M. Sr2+ was less effective than Ca2+; the threshold concentration was 1 x 10(-5) M and the tension reached maximum at 1 x 10(-3) M. Ba2+ was the least effective among the three alkaline earth metal ions; only one fifth of the Ca(2+)-induced maximum tension was attained at 1 x 10(-3) M. The sensitivity was similar to that of the mature pectoral muscle fiber, a fast twitch muscle fiber, rather than that of the anterior latissimus dorsi, a slow tonic muscle fiber. The sensitivity was shown to be dependent on its troponin C by replacing it with troponin C from the mature pectoral or cardiac muscle. This indicates that TnC of a fast-muscle type is expressed in the cultured chick myotube as in the mature pectoral muscle. The contractile apparatus was thus shown to be well developed in the cultured myotube with characteristics similar to the mature fast twitch muscle fiber.

Animals↗