Neural control of the healthy pectoralis major from low-to-moderate isometric contractions
Tea Lulic, Christopher K. Thompson, Ning Jiang, Francesco Negro, Clark R. Dickerson
Abstract
This work is the first to investigate the relative contribution of rate coding and motor unit recruitment in the pectoralis major muscle in several functionally relevant tasks and across varying force levels in healthy adults. Our results demonstrate the absence of motor unit rate coding with an increase in EMG amplitude with increases in force level in all tasks examined, indicating that the pectoralis major relies on motor unit recruitment to increase force.
Topics & Concepts
Isometric exerciseMotor unitElectromyographyMotor unit recruitmentPhysical medicine and rehabilitationMotor controlPectoralis major muscleMedicinePsychologyAnatomyPhysical therapyNeuroscienceMuscle activation and electromyography studiesMotor Control and AdaptationEEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces