Disturbances in voluntary recruitment order of low and high frequency motor units on blockades of proprioceptive afferent activity

Abstract

The voluntary recruitment order of anterior tibial motor units was studied in electromyographic recordings using both low and high impedance electrodes. It was shown in previous papers, that the recruitment order in sustained voluntary contraction is normally stable and that motor units with low thresholds discharge at low, regular frequencies and that motor units with high thresholds discharge at higher and more irregular frequencies. In this paper the consequences for the discharge properties of reduced afferent inflow in sustained voluntary contraction were studied, using partial ischemic or lidocain blockades of the muscle nerve and local cooling of the muscle belly. 1. The recruitment order of certain low and certain high frequency units was reversed. 2. The muscle tension and sense of effort necessary for tonic firing were increased for certain low frequency units but decreased for certain high frequency units. 3. On severe reduction of the afferent inflow, the differences in discharge pattern between low and high frequency units were decreased. It is concluded that the recruitment of low frequency units before high frequency units in sustained voluntary contraction is partly due to proprioceptive afferent activity favouring low frequency units and disfavouring high frequency units. It is also concluded that the afferent inflow is involved in restricting certain units to low frequency discharge and others to high frequency discharge.