Motor unit recruitment in the biceps brachii of older adults during a fatiguing contraction

Michael A. Pascoe, Matthew R. Holmes, Mia E. Gaw, & Roger M. Enoka

Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

Introduction 1. Experimental setup 2. Sample ramp contraction 3. Sample sustained contractions, large and small difference
The decline in the force capacity of muscle during a submaximal 15 Instantaneous discharge rate 20 Instantaneous discharge rate
20

fatiguing contraction is accompanied by a progressive increase in pps pps

pps
the drive to the motor neuron pool (Bigland-Ritchie et al. 1986)
0 0
that recruits additional motor units, but does not prevent the Discriminated action potentials 0

decrease in discharge rate of some motor units (Enoka et al. 1989) Subcutaneous wire electrode
200 mV
Discriminated action potentials
or the cessation of discharge in others (Carpentier et al. 2001). 100 mV
100 mV
Raw EMG 5 ms 5 ms
5 ms
The discharge characteristics of newly recruited motor units can 150 mV
Raw EMG
vary during a fatiguing contraction (Maton and Gamet 1989). For
150 mV
example, Riley et al. (2008) found that the discharge
0.5 s
250 mV

characteristics of a recently recruited motor unit in the biceps 50

Elbow flexion force
brachii were influenced by the difference between the target force
Recruitment threshold force = 32.1% MVC
and recruitment threshold of the motor unit. The differences were 14.4% MVC Small
19.3% MVC Large
attributed to the synaptic input received by the motor neuron pool % MVC Elbow flexion force

(Berg et al. 2007). 12.8% MVC

17.7% MVC

0
Purpose Force transducer 10 s 60 s 60 s

To compare the discharge characteristics of motor units in the

biceps brachii that were recruited during sustained submaximal
contractions performed by young and old adults.
4. Motor unit and task characteristics 5. Sustained contractions time to recruitment Summary
Methods In contrast to young adults, discharge characteristics at
13 single motor units were recorded from the short head of recruitment for old adults were similar for both small and
Small Diff Large Diff
P value Small large differences between target force and recruitment
biceps brachii in 6 old adults (76.5 ± 5.6 yrs) using a (N = 13) (N = 8)
threshold.

Young
subcutaneous wire electrode.
Initial RT (% MVC) 20.7 ± 7.43 21.7 ± 9.05 n.s.
Large The old adults exhibited no intermittent discharge patterns.
Task was to sustain an isometric contraction at a target force Final RT (% MVC) 19.8 ± 6.06 18.6 ± 6.06 n.s.
below the recruitment threshold (RT) of an isolated single motor Target force (% MVC) 14.1 ± 3.7 9.73 ± 3.9 0.015 These data suggest that the integration of synaptic input
unit until it was recruited and discharged action potentials for Small during sustained contractions differs for young and old
Force below RT (% MVC) 6.59 ± 4.96 12.0 ± 5.79 0.0001
~60 s. adults.

Old
Task duration (s) 233 ± 173 506 ± 626 n.s.
Fluctuations in Variability in
Time to recruitment (s) 158 ± 174 426 ± 598 n.s. Young Adults
The average RT during ramp contractions was 20.5 ± 7.7% MVC Large Synaptic Noise
AHP Trajectory Discharge Times

force (range 9.9 - 40.7% MVC) and the discharge rate at

Difference between Amount of
recruitment averaged 9.29 ± 1.8 pps. 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Target and RT Synaptic Input

Time (s)
Subjects performed a sustained contraction with the elbow
? Fluctuations in ? Variability in
Old Adults ? Synaptic Noise
AHP Trajectory Discharge Times

flexors at a target force that was set at either a relatively small (6.6 6. Discharge characteristics across time 7. Discharge characteristics at recruitment during
± 5.0% MVC) or large (12.0 ± 5.8% MVC) difference below RT
ramp and sustained contractions
Intrinsic Motor
Unit Property

force. Young Small Old

Large
In the experimental setup, subjects performed the following
Discharge Rate (pps) References
tasks:
Discharge Rate (pps)

15 15
14 14 Berg RW, Alaburda A, Hounsgaard J. Balanced inhibition and excitation drive
* 13 spike activity in spinal half-centers. Science 315: 390-393, 2007.
13 20
1. Initial maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) 12 12
2. Initial ramp contractions 11 11 Ramp Bigland-Ritchie B, Furbush FH, Woods JJ. Fatigue of intermittent submaximal
voluntary contractions: central and peripheral factors. J Appl Physiol 61: 421-429,
3. Sustained contractions, counter-balanced 10 10
10 Sustained 1986.
9 9
4. Final ramp contractions 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Carpentier A, Duchateau J, Hainaut K. Motor unit behaviour and contractile
5. Final MVC *Discharge rate declined from the first to last 20%
changes during fatigue in the human first dorsal interosseus. J Physiol 534:
0 903-912, 2001.
Small Large Small Large
CV for ISI (%)
Discharge rates of the motor units were averaged across each Young Old Enoka RM, Robinson GA, Kossev AR. Task and fatigue effects on
50 50
20% of discharge duration. The coefficient of variation for * *
50
low-threshold motor units in human hand muscle. J Neurophysiol 62: 1344-1359,
CV for ISI (%)

40 40 1989.
*
interspike interval (CV for ISI) was measured from the first five 30 30 40
ISIs for each 20% of discharge duration. 20 20 30
Maton B and Gamet D. The fatigability of two agonistic muscles in human
isometric voluntary submaximal contraction: an EMG study. II. Motor unit firing
10 10 20 rate and recruitment. Eur J Appl Physiol 58: 368-374, 1989.
Data were compared with results in young adults (25.5 ± 6.2 yrs; 0 0
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
10 Riley ZA, Maerz AH, Litsey JC, Enoka RM. Motor unit recruitment in human
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Riley et al. 2008). Time (% duration) Time (% duration) 0 biceps brachii during sustained voluntary contractions. J Physiol 586: 2183-2193,
Small Large Small Large 2008.
*CV for ISI was elevated at first and last 20% *CV for ISI was elevated at 20% for both differences
Video of experimental procedures available on Mike's laptop. (CV for ISI was greated for large differences)
Young Old Supported by NINDS NS043275 to R.M. Enoka