[Behavior of the discharge of the Golgi tendon organs during subtetanic muscular contraction].

In a series of isotonic muscle contractions induced by repetitive stimulation at frequencies higher than 0.1 Hz the pause in the afferent discharge of the muscle spindles tends to decrease as a function of time and as a function of frequency, while the afferent discharge of the Golgi tendon organs, as measured in the same experimental conditions, remains constant. The results support the hypothesis that the changes in the spindle are due to changes in the visco-elastic properties of the intrafusal muscle fibers (1). Since no muscolar tissue is present within the Golgi tendon organs (4) their afferent discharge and the pause, which occurs during the relaxation phase (3) do not change as seen in the spindles.