Kuchinad R A, Ivanova T D, Garland S J
School of Physical Therapy, Elborn College, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada.
Exp Brain Res. 2004 Oct;158(3):345-55. doi: 10.1007/s00221-004-1907-0. Epub 2004 May 14.
Declining motor unit discharge rates and H-reflex amplitude have been observed in separate experiments during fatiguing submaximal contractions in humans. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate motor unit discharge rate, H-reflex amplitude, and twitch contractile properties concurrently during a fatiguing submaximal isometric contraction of the ankle plantarflexors. Eleven healthy subjects performed fatiguing contractions of low force (25% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)) or high force (42-66% MVC). Hoffmann (H)-reflexes, muscle compound action potentials (M-waves), twitch contractile properties, and motor unit discharges were recorded from the soleus muscle. In the low-force fatigue task, motor unit firing rate increased gradually over time, whereas the resting H-reflex was significantly depressed at 15% of endurance time and remained quasiconstant for the rest of the task. This suggests that the processes mediating the resting H-reflex depression are relatively independent of those modulating the motor unit firing rate during a low-force fatigue task. In the high-force fatigue task, a decline in the average motor unit discharge rate was accompanied by a decrease in the resting H-reflex amplitude and a prolongation of the twitch half-relaxation time (HRT) at the completion of the fatigue task. Overall, motor unit firing rate was modulated in parallel with changes in the twitch HRT, consistent with the muscle wisdom hypothesis.
在人体次最大收缩疲劳实验中,已分别观察到运动单位放电率和H反射波幅下降。本实验的目的是在踝关节跖屈肌次最大等长收缩疲劳过程中,同时研究运动单位放电率、H反射波幅和单收缩特性。11名健康受试者进行低强度(最大自主收缩(MVC)的25%)或高强度(MVC的42 - 66%)的疲劳收缩。记录比目鱼肌的霍夫曼(H)反射、肌肉复合动作电位(M波)、单收缩特性和运动单位放电情况。在低强度疲劳任务中,运动单位放电率随时间逐渐增加,而静息H反射在耐力时间的15%时显著降低,并在任务剩余时间内保持准恒定。这表明在低强度疲劳任务中,介导静息H反射降低的过程相对独立于调节运动单位放电率的过程。在高强度疲劳任务中,疲劳任务结束时,平均运动单位放电率下降,同时静息H反射波幅降低,单收缩半松弛时间(HRT)延长。总体而言,运动单位放电率与单收缩HRT的变化平行调节,这与肌肉智慧假说一致。