Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
2009-8-6
pubmed:abstractText
We compared motor unit synchronization and firing rate variability within and across synergistic hand muscles during a pinching task following short-term light-load training to improve force steadiness in older adults. A total of 183 motor unit pairs before training and 158 motor unit pairs after training were recorded with intramuscular fine-wire electrodes within and across the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and adductor pollicis (AdP) muscles during a pinch task performed by ten older adults before and after a 4-week short-term light-load training program. Nine younger adults performed the same experimental sessions 4 weeks apart with no training intervention. Two-minute sustained contractions of 2, 4, 8, and 12% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) were performed with the non-dominant hand. The coefficient of variation (CV) of force was greater in older than in younger adults and was lower at the 2 and 4% MVC levels in both the finger (0.12 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01, and 0.08 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01, respectively) and thumb (0.11 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01, and 0.09 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01, respectively) compared to higher force levels following training in the older adults. There were no changes in CIS or k'-1 values following training. Motor unit firing rate variability significantly decreased at low force levels in the FDI muscle and also tended to decrease with training in the AdP muscle (p = 0.06). No changes occurred in the younger control group. These findings are the first to show that motor unit synchronization does not change during light-load training. Thus, it is likely that force steadiness in older adults improves by reducing motor unit firing variability rather than by changing motor unit synchronization.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
1432-1106
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
197
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
337-45
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-11-11
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2009
pubmed:articleTitle
Motor unit firing variability and synchronization during short-term light-load training in older adults.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Bellmont 222, 1 University Station, D3700, Austin, TX 78712, USA. l.griffin@mail.utexas.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural