1. Local skeletal muscle blood flow was monitored using the microdialysis ethanol technique and 133Xe clearance during intermittent isometric contractions (5 s on/10 s off) of the thigh at 0-60% of the maximal voluntary isometric contraction force. 2. A linear increase in blood flow over a 25-fold range was detected using both 133Xe clearance and the microdialysis ethanol technique. 3. The medi...

Spindle Ia afferents may be differentially involved in voluntary isometric contraction, depending on the pattern of synaptic connections in spindle reflex pathways. We investigated how isometric contraction of masseter muscles is regulated through the activity of their muscle spindles that contain the largest number of intrafusal fibers among skeletal muscle spindles by examining the effects of...

Many bilateral motor tasks engage simultaneous activation of distal and proximal arm muscles, but little is known about their physiological interactions. Here, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to examine motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), interhemispheric inhibition at a conditioning-test interval of 10 (IHI(10)) and 40 ms (IHI(40)), and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in t...

performed the experiments and analysed the data. 14 Y.K. designed the study and wrote the manuscript together with T. ABSTRACT 25 Spindle Ia afferents may be differentially involved in voluntary isometric contraction, depending on 26 the pattern of synaptic connections in spindle reflex pathways. We investigated how isometric 27 contraction of masseter muscles is regulated through the activity ...

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the age-associated decrease of tendon stiffness would necessitate greater muscle fascicle strains to produce similar levels of force during isometric contraction. Greater fascicle strains could force sarcomeres to operate in less advantageous regions of their force-length and force-velocity relationships, thus impairing the capacity t...

BACKGROUND Some studies have found that flat-arched foot posture is related to altered lower limb muscle function compared to normal- or high-arched feet. However, the results from these studies were based on highly selected populations such as those with rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare lower limb muscle function of normal and flat-arched feet in peop...

Objectives: It is well known that neuromuscular function is temperature sensitive. Changing of muscle temperature can effect voluntary muscle contraction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cooling and heating on maximal isometric force generated by the elbow flexor musculature in male subjects. Methods: Forty five healthy males encompassing 3 groups participated in the ...

Babault, Nicolas, Michel Pousson, Yves Ballay, and Jacques Van Hoecke. Activation of human quadriceps femoris during isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions. J Appl Physiol 91: 2628–2634, 2001.—Maximal and submaximal activation level of the right knee-extensor muscle group were studied during isometric and slow isokinetic muscular contractions in eight male subjects. The activation le...

Electromyographic (EMG) amplitude and mechanical tension are directly related during isometric contraction. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions are typically elicited through two different procedures; resisting a load, which is eccentric in nature, and contracting against an immovable object, which is concentric in nature. A wealth of literature exists indicating that EMG amplitude during ...

Isometric handgrip is commonly used in stress research because the task reliably increases sympathetic arousal. Various handgrip protocols have been used; they vary in handgrip strength, duration of grip, and the number of cycles of handgrip and rest. However, most protocols require the calibration of a maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) prior to the handgrip task, which is not always convenie...