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Fatigue pp 147–160Cite as

Human Motor Units Studied by Spike-Triggered Averaging and Intraneural Motor Axon Stimulation

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 384))

Abstract

When low-threshold motor units are activated at low rates during sustained, weak voluntary contractions, most unit force profiles exhibit fatigue but some show force potentiation. These data, obtained by spike-triggered averaging, are compared to the fatigue resistance of human motor units activated at twitch and tetanic rates by intraneural motor axon stimulation. With the latter technique, representative sampling of the motor units from one muscle group shows that unit force fatigue or potentiation at submaximal frequencies, and contractile rate changes, dictate the shifts in unit force-frequency relationships. More diverse fatigue protocols, and when possible, careful comparisons of data obtained by both these techniques, are needed to further our understanding of the force and frequency changes of single motor units during voluntary and stimulated exercise.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, 33136, USA

    C. K. Thomas

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  1. C. K. Thomas
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Simon C. Gandevia

  2. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Roger M. Enoka

  3. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Alan J. McComas

  4. The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Douglas G. Stuart  & Patricia A. Pierce  & 

  5. University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA

    Christine K. Thomas

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Thomas, C.K. (1995). Human Motor Units Studied by Spike-Triggered Averaging and Intraneural Motor Axon Stimulation. In: Gandevia, S.C., Enoka, R.M., McComas, A.J., Stuart, D.G., Thomas, C.K., Pierce, P.A. (eds) Fatigue. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 384. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1016-5_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1016-5_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1018-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1016-5

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