Individual differences in the neural strategies to control the lateral and medial head of the quadriceps during a mechanically constrained task.
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Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The interindividual variability in the neural drive sent from the spinal cord to muscles is largely unknown, even during highly constrained motor tasks. Here, we investigated individual differences in the strength of neural drive received by the vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) during an isometric task. We also assessed the proportion of common neural drive within and between these muscles. Twenty-two participants performed a series of submaximal isometric knee extensions at 25% of their peak torque. High-density surface electromyography recordings were decomposed into motor unit action potentials. Coherence analyses were applied on the motor unit spike trains to assess the degree of neural drive that was shared between motor neurons. Six participants were retested ∼20 mo after the first session. The distribution of the strength of neural drive between VL and VM varied between participants and was correlated with the distribution of normalized interference electromyography (EMG) signals (r > 0.56). The level of within- and between-muscle coherence varied across individuals, with a significant positive correlation between these two outcomes (VL: r = 0.48; VM: r = 0.58). We also observed a large interindividual variability in the proportion of muscle-specific drive, that is, the drive unique to each muscle (VL range: 6%-83%, VM range: 6%-86%). All the outcome measures were robust across sessions, providing evidence that the individual differences did not depend solely on the variability of the measures. Together, these results demonstrate that the neural strategies to control the VL and VM muscles widely vary across individuals, even during a constrained task.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We observed that the distribution of the strength of neural drive between the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis during a single-joint isometric task varied across participants. Also, we observed that the proportion of neural drive that was shared within and between these muscles also varied across participants. These results provide evidence that the neural strategies to control the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis muscles widely vary across individuals, even during a mechanically constrained task.
Date Issued
2021-01-01
Date Acceptance
2020-11-11
Citation
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2021, 130 (1), pp.269-281
ISSN
1522-1601
Publisher
American Physiological Society
Start Page
269
End Page
281
Journal / Book Title
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
Volume
130
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2021 the American Physiological Society
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33242302
Grant Number
810346
Subjects
coherence
common drive
electromyography
motor units
quadriceps
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2021-01-23