Motor Neurons

Dendrite

receives and
integrates
information

Soma
(body)
Axon
transmits information

Motor Unit
A motor unit
is composed
of a motor
neuron and
all of the
muscle fibers
it innervates

It is the smallest functional unit of muscular shortening

Motor Unit
(cont)
each muscle has many motor units (m.u.)
# of fibers in a m.u. is dependent on the
precision of movement required of that muscle
(average: 100-200 fibers per m.u.)
more precision is obtained with more neurons
100 to 2000 motor neurons per muscle

# of m.u.s in a muscle decreases in the elderly

Precision of 2 Muscles
1st muscle

2nd muscle

10,000 fibers
100 motor neurons

10,000 fibers
200 motor neurons

100 motor units

100 fibers/mu
less precision

200 motor units

50 fibers/mu
more precision

Muscle

Platysma

Number of
Muscle
Fibers

Number of
MUs

27,100

1,100

Mean
Number of
Fibers Per
MU
25

Brachioradialias >129,200

330

>410

First Lumbrical

10,000

100

110

Tibialias
Anterior

250,000

450

600

Gastrocnemius
(medial head)

1,120,000

580

2,000

Neuromuscular Control
a motor nerve action potential stimulates the release
of acetylcholine (ACh) from the nerve ending
ACh binds to the muscle fiber which causes
depolarization and results in the release of calcium
ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (5 ms)
the calcium ions permit the actin-myosin
interaction, which produces force
the contraction stops when the calcium ions are
removed by a pumping action (100 ms)

EMG

Electromechanical Delay
electromechanical delay - stimulation
begins before force is developed
it is thought that this is the time necessary to take up
the slack in the SEC

Control of Tension
excitation of each motor unit is an all-ornothing event
increased tension can be accomplished by:
increasing the # of stimulated motor units
(recruitment)
increasing the stimulation rate of the active
motor units (rate coding)

Stimulation vs Activation

Voltage

Voltage

threshold

NOTHING

ALL

Recruitment
each motor unit has a stimulation threshold
at which it will begin to produce force
small motor units have a lower threshold
than large motor unit, therefore they are
recruited first (size principle)

Rate Coding
summation (B) - the
overall effect of added
stimuli

tetanus (C) - sustained maximal

tension due to high frequency
stimulation

Sensory Receptors
Sensory neurons provide feedback on
the characteristics of the muscle or
other tissues.
2 neuromuscular proprioceptors:
MUSCLE SPINDLES &
GOLGI TENDON ORGANS

Muscle Spindles
location:
interspersed throughout muscle
belly

responds to:
muscle length
muscle velocity

causes:
autogenic facilitation
reciprocal inhibition

Stretch Reflex
The muscle spindle is responsible for the stretch
reflex.
As a muscle is rapidly stretched, the muscle
spindle responds by facilitation of the same
muscle and inhibition of the antagonistic muscle.
This reflex can be seen in the patellar tendon tap.

Golgi Tendon Organ

location:
near the muscle-tendon
junction

Muscle Fibers
GTO

responds to:
muscle tension

causes:
autogenic inhibition
antagonistic facilitation

tendon

GOLGI TENDON ORGAN

My Little GTO
possibly the critical determinant to maximal
lifting levels in weight training
may also be responsible for uncoordinated
responses in untrained individuals
response is adapted through training

BALLISTIC
activate muscle
spindles which
elicits a stretch
reflex

STATIC
if static position
achieved slowly then
can minimize muscle
spindle response
if held for sufficiently
long period (~30s) then
can elicit GTO
response

may result in
tearing a muscle

STATIC BETTER THAN BALLISTIC

Spindle response: minimal if performed slowly

GTO response: active stretch of hip extensors
causes GTO to relax hip extensors and to
activate the hip flexors
motive force: actions of the hip flexors
consequences: no negatives -- limited ROM
limits possibility of injury and exercise
antagonists

ACTIVE
STRETCH

Spindle response: minimal if performed slowly

GTO response: passive stretch of hip extensors
causes GTO to relax hip extensors
motive force: external force
consequences: no direct control of ROM thus
may exceed physiological limits and induce
muscle damage

PASSIVE
STRETCH

Stretching
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
PNF
alternating contraction - relaxation of agonist &
antagonist muscles
takes advantage of the response of the proprioceptors
e.g. hamstrings
passive static stretch of hams - relax
active maximal concentric action of hams - relax
repeat

Plyometric Training
Plyometric training consists of exercises that rapidly
stretch a muscle followed immediately by a
contraction. They improve power output in the muscle
by:
Neurological Influences: rapidly stretching of the
muscle, which excites the motoneurons via the stretch
reflex.
Structural Influences: involving elastic energy from
the stretch-shortening cycle.