Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Miyuki Nakatani, Kensuke Murata, Hiroaki Kanehisa, Yohei Takai
Summary: The study examined the force-velocity relationship and power output characteristics of upper limb muscles in gymnasts, revealing that gymnasts cannot generate explosive force corresponding to their muscle size compared to judo athletes. This could be attributed to lower neuromuscular activities during maximal dynamic tasks against relatively low loads in gymnasts.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sanjeev D. Nandedkar, Paul E. Barkhaus, Erik Stalberg
Summary: This study assessed the validity of the prevailing concept of motor unit (MU) recruitment's progressive linear increase in firing rate (FR). The results indicated that MU FR does not exhibit a linear increase with recruitment, supporting the findings of other researchers. The firing rate of the fastest firing MU can be used as an indicator to detect MU loss in neurogenic processes.
Review
Physiology
Jacques Duchateau, Roger M. Enoka
Summary: The purpose of this review was to compare the distribution of motor unit properties across human muscles of different sizes and recruitment ranges. Despite innervation number being the most influential factor in this distribution, the organization of motor unit pools and discharge rates are relatively similar between hand muscles and lower leg muscles.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuichi Nishikawa, Ales Holobar, Kohei Watanabe, Tetsuya Takahashi, Hiroki Ueno, Noriaki Maeda, Hirofumi Maruyama, Shinobu Tanaka, Allison S. Hyngstrom
Summary: This study detected specific motor unit (MU) abnormalities in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using high-density surface electromyography (HD-SEMG). The results showed that ALS patients had abnormal MU firing behavior compared to controls, and these abnormalities were correlated with disease severity.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Riccardo Borzuola, Stefano Nuccio, Martina Scalia, Martina Parrella, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Ilenia Bazzucchi, Francesco Felici, Andrea Macaluso
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different training methods on the discharge characteristics of the tibialis anterior motor units. It was found that neuromuscular electrical stimulation superimposed on voluntary muscle contractions (NMES+) can increase motor unit discharge rate, especially when higher forces are required. This result suggests that NMES+ enhances neural control of muscles and is closely related to the distinctive motor fiber recruitment characterizing NMES+.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
Kyle J. Brandenberger, Gordon L. Warren, Christopher P. Ingalls, Jeff S. Otis, J. Andrew Doyle
Summary: The study showed that a 1-hour downhill run significantly injured the knee extensors while the elbow flexor muscles remained uninjured but their strength was impaired. Data suggests that muscle injury can lead to prolonged strength deficits in muscles distant from the injury.
JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yen-Ting Chen, Yang Liu, Chuan Zhang, Elaine Magat, Ping Zhou, Yingchun Zhang, Sheng Li
Summary: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the effects of Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injection for managing focal spasticity in stroke survivors. The results showed that BoNT injection significantly reduced spasticity, muscle strength, reflex torque, and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude, and these effects returned to baseline levels after 3 months. Voluntary force control and non-reflex resistance torque were not affected.
Article
Physiology
Toshiyuki Aoyama, Yutaka Kohno
Summary: This study investigated the differences in recruitment and rate coding of motor units between postural and voluntary tasks. The results showed that postural tasks preferentially recruited motor units with lower recruitment threshold and higher firing rate, while voluntary tasks preferentially recruited motor units with higher recruitment threshold and amplitude.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Edith Elgueta-Cancino, Ethan Evans, Eduardo Martinez-Valdes, Deborah Falla
Summary: This review aims to synthesize the available evidence on the effect of resistance training (RT) on motor unit firing properties. The review revealed a lack of high-quality evidence for the effect of RT on motor unit firing properties, with heterogeneity across studies affecting the conclusions that can be drawn.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Sport Sciences
Wing Yin Lau, Anthony J. Blazevich, Michael J. Newton, Sam Shi Xuan Wu, Kazunori Nosaka
Summary: The study aimed to compare the effects of supinated and neutral positions on indirect markers of muscle damage following eccentric exercises of the biceps brachii. The results revealed that the supinated position led to greater changes in muscle damage markers, likely due to greater muscle elongation during the exercise.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yuichi Nishikawa, Kohei Watanabe, Ales Holobar, Noriaki Maeda, Hirofumi, Maruyama, Shinobu Tanaka
Summary: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit greater laterality of muscle contraction properties compared to other parkinsonism diseases, with abnormalities in single motor unit behavior even in early stages of the disease. This highlights the importance of detecting abnormal muscle properties in PD patients early on.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Sport Sciences
Trevor C. Chen, Hsin-Lian Chen, Li-Fu Cheng, Tai-Ying Chou, Kazunori Nosaka
Summary: The study found that exercises performed on the legs did not have a protective effect on muscle damage induced in the elbow flexor, suggesting that muscle damage protection was not transferred from knee extensor or flexor to the elbow flexor.
MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Matteo Beretta-Piccoli, Corrado Cescon, Ausilia Vistarini, Caterina Pisegna, Beatrice Vannini, Cristian Zampella, Luca Calanni, Emiliano Soldini, Marco Barbero, Giuseppe D'Antona
Summary: The study aimed to validate the relationship between fractal dimension (FD) of surface electromyographic (EMG) signal and firing rate and synchronization of motor units. Thirteen healthy subjects participated in an isometric knee extension task, and intramuscular and surface EMG signals were recorded concurrently. Results showed that FD was negatively correlated with motor unit synchronization and positively correlated with firing rate. However, the correlation between FD and firing rate was only significant during the initial 50 seconds of contraction. Therefore, FD of surface EMG signal is mostly related to firing rate and can be considered as an index of performance fatigability during sustained or prolonged contractions.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuichi Nishikawa, Kohei Watanabe, Ales Holobar, Tetsuya Takahashi, Noriaki Maeda, Hirofumi Maruyama, Shinobu Tanaka, Allison S. Hyngstrom
Summary: The study revealed a moderate-to-strong correlation between degeneration of dopaminergic pathways and MU firing behavior in PD patients, indicating that abnormalities in MU activity can be used to predict central nervous system degeneration following PD.
Article
Physiology
Kylie K. Harmon, Adam S. Hamilton, Brent D. Johnson, Frank J. Bartek, Ryan M. Girts, Rob J. MacLennan, Debbie L. Hahs-Vaughn, Matt S. Stock
Summary: The study compared the motor unit action potential (MUAP) amplitude at different torque levels and in fatigue conditions. Results showed that MUAP amplitude during a 30% MVC fatiguing protocol was comparable to that during a non-fatigued 80% MVC condition.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Aaron N. McInnes, Juan M. Castellote, Markus Kofler, Claire F. Honeycutt, Ottmar V. Lipp, Stephan Riek, James R. Tresilian, Welber Marinovic
Summary: SCM activity is not always a reliable indicator of distinct neurophysiological mechanisms for movement triggering. Using CDFs to classify trials can capture potential triggering differences and avoid the pitfalls of traditional methods.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Richard G. Carson, Antonio Capozio, Emmet McNickle, Alexander T. Sack
Summary: The study aimed to determine whether associative effects are induced when the first stimulus of a cortico-cortical pair is tACS or subthreshold TMS. Although both interventions led to sustained increases in corticospinal excitability (approximately 20-30 minutes), the evidence supporting the experimental hypotheses was generally stronger for the paired TMS-TMS condition compared to the tACS-TMS condition.
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Li-Ann Leow, James R. Tresilian, Aya Uchida, Dirk Koester, Tamara Spingler, Stephan Riek, Welber Marinovic
Summary: Research suggests that unpredictable loud acoustic stimulation may be an effective method of modulating sensorimotor adaptation in healthy adults, improving initial adaptation to sensory prediction errors and overnight retention of adaptation.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Briana K. Clifford, Matthew D. Jones, David Simar, Benjamin K. Barry, David Goldstein
Summary: This study found that high-intensity exercise can induce greater exercise-induced hypoalgesia in cancer survivors compared to low-intensity exercise. However, after a short training period, both intensities of exercise showed similar effects on EIH, suggesting that low-intensity exercise training may be an effective option for increasing pain thresholds in cancer survivors.
PHYSIOLOGICAL REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Elaheh Amini, Ashril Yusof, Stephan Riek, Victor Selvarajah Selvanayagam
Summary: The present study examined errors in an isometric goal-directed aiming task during familiarization at different hand orientations. The results showed that familiarization required three sets regardless of hand orientation. Aiming errors without feedback were significantly higher than with feedback after familiarization. Hand orientation did not affect familiarization and mechanisms similar to rapid learning may be involved. Learning appeared to be consolidated during familiarization with feedforward input to maintain performance. Proprioceptive feedback reduced errors early, while online visual feedback reduced errors later, independent of hand orientation.
HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Richard G. Carson, Eimile Holton
Summary: The study found that the MFFD derived from the maximum rate of force development was negatively associated with cognitive status, while the one calculated using the maximum level of force was not statistically reliable. This suggests that the sensitivity of MFFD in detecting cognitive decline risk may be enhanced by using the maximum rate of force developed by each finger.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Richard G. Carson
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Rehabilitation
Sally Casson, Matthew D. Jones, Joanne Cassar, Natalie Kwai, Andrew R. Lloyd, Benjamin K. Barry, Carolina X. Sandler
Summary: Activity pacing interventions are effective in reducing fatigue and psychological distress and improving physical function in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), particularly when individuals are encouraged to gradually increase activities.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Alexandra Elisabeth Wink, Amanda N. Telfer, Michael A. Pascoe
Summary: This study aimed to assess the sources and educational value of Google Images search results for commonly searched anatomical structures. The results showed that images were mostly sourced from websites targeting healthcare professionals and students, with Wikipedia being the most frequent source. However, only a small portion of the images were considered useful for identifying the structures in an anatomical donor.
JMIR MEDICAL EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Saroj Bista, Amina Coffey, Antonio Fasano, Teresa Buxo, Matthew Mitchell, Eileen Rose Giglia, Stefan Dukic, Mark Heverin, Muthuraman Muthuraman, Richard G. Carson, Madeleine Lowery, Orla Hardiman, Lara McManus, Bahman Nasseroleslami
Summary: Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is characterized by the degeneration of upper motor neurons (UMNs) in the primary motor area (M1). This study used cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) to examine the oscillatory drives between cortical regions and muscles during a motor task in PLS. The findings showed atypical engagement of both contralateral and ipsilateral M1 during motor activity in PLS, indicating pathogenic and adaptive/compensatory alterations in neural activity.
Article
Neurosciences
Glenn H. M. Calvert, Richard G. Carson
Summary: Interhemispheric facilitation (IHF) refers to the increase in motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over one hemisphere when preceded by conditioning TMS over the opposite hemisphere. This study investigates the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on IHF and finds that short bursts of 140 Hz tACS applied over one motor cortex can enhance MEPs elicited by suprathreshold TMS over the opposite motor cortex.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caterina Zagona-Prizio, Michael A. Pascoe, Michaele Francesco Corbisiero, Violette C. Simon, Scott E. Mann, Katherine A. Mayer, James P. Maloney
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of bronchoscopy-enhanced cricothyrotomy training on cadavers. The results showed that this training method was helpful and efficient for trainees, and it could detect technical errors that might be missed in standard training programs.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Sean Williams, Richard Carson, Katalin Toth
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Michael A. Pascoe, Mary Jane Rapport
Summary: This study investigated essential anatomical knowledge for physical therapist education by surveying faculty, recent graduates, and clinical instructors of one physical therapy program. Out of 46 learning objectives, 10 were rated as essential, 20 as useful but not essential, and 16 as not necessary. These findings provide guidance for anatomy instructors in other institutions to prioritize anatomical content that is crucial for physical therapist practice.
MEDICAL SCIENCE EDUCATOR
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael A. Pascoe
Summary: The study reveals that using Snapchat can improve learners' knowledge scores 12 months later, and learners have a positive attitude towards the accuracy and usefulness of the content. The ephemeral nature of disappearing content helps to enhance student attention and knowledge retention.