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Role of Muscle Afferents in the Inhibition of Motoneurons During Fatigue

  • Chapter
Fatigue

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

Abstract

In conscious humans, fatiguing muscular contractions are accompanied by a decrease in the discharge rate of alpha motoneurons. The association between alpha motoneuron discharge rate and the generation of force by skeletal muscle has been called “muscle wisdom” (Marsden et al., 1983). Its purpose is believed to ensure that central neural drive to skeletal muscle, which is fatigued, matches that needed to generate the required force. In addition, muscle wisdom may be one mechanism that functions either to decrease or to postpone central neural fatigue (Enoka & Stuart, 1992). Bigland-Ritchie and colleagues (1986) have suggested that a reflex arising from fatigued skeletal muscle is responsible, at least in part, for muscle wisdom. This chapter has two purposes. The first is to evaluate the evidence that a reflex arising from fatigued skeletal muscle causes muscle wisdom, and the second is to examine the discharge properties of muscle afferents to determine which ones are most likely to initiate reflexly this phenomenon.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, Elborn College, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1H1

    S. J. Garland

  2. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Departments of Internal Medicine and Human Physiology, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA

    M. P. Kaufman

Authors
  1. S. J. Garland
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  2. M. P. Kaufman
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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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Garland, S.J., Kaufman, M.P. (1995). Role of Muscle Afferents in the Inhibition of Motoneurons During Fatigue. 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_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1016-5_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1018-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1016-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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