scholarly journals Factors in fatigue during intermittent electrical stimulation of human skeletal muscle

2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Russ ◽  
Krista Vandenborne ◽  
Stuart A. Binder-Macleod

During an electrically elicited isometric contraction, the metabolic cost of attaining is greater than of maintaining force. Thus fatigue produced during such stimulation may not simply be a function of the force-time integral (FTI), as previously suggested. The goal of the present study was to evaluate fatigue produced in human medial gastrocnemius by intermittent, isometric electrical stimulation with trains of different frequencies (20, 40, or 80 Hz) and durations (300, 600, or 1,200 ms) that produced different peak forces and FTIs. Each subject ( n = 10) participated in a total of six sessions. During each session, subjects received a pre- and postfatigue testing protocol and a different, 150-train fatiguing protocol. Each fatiguing protocol used only a single frequency and duration. The fatigue produced by the different protocols was correlated to the initial peak force of the fatiguing protocols ( r 2= 0.74–0.85) but not to the initial or total FTI. All of the protocols tested produced a proportionately greater impairment of force in response to low- vs. high-frequency stimulation (i.e., low-frequency fatigue). There was no effect of protocol on low-frequency fatigue, suggesting that all the protocols produced comparable levels of impairment in excitation-contraction coupling. These results suggest that, for brief stimulated contractions, peak force is a better predictor of fatigue than FTI, possibly because of the different metabolic demands of attaining and maintaining force.

1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1313-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. R. Koerber ◽  
L. M. Mendell

1. Monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were evoked in medial gastrocnemius motoneurons by maximal group Ia stimulation of the heteronymous lateral gastrocnemius-soleus nerve in anesthetized cats. Three different patterns of high-frequency stimulation were delivered to the nerve, and the EPSPs were averaged in register (1, 2, . . ., n) for each. 2. One pattern ("Burst") consisted of 32 shocks delivered every 2 s at an interstimulus interval of 6 ms (167 Hz). The second pattern ("Stepping") was a frequency-modulated burst of 52 shocks derived from a recording of a spindle during stepping and was delivered every 2 s. The third pattern ("Paw Shake") was from an extensor spindle afferent recorded during rapid paw shake and was delivered in groups of six bursts with an interburst interval of 75 ms and a 3-s pause between groups of six bursts. The EPSPs in each burst were averaged in register (1, 2, . . ., n) so that the relative amplitude of each EPSP in the burst could be ascertained. The EPSP produced by low-frequency stimulation of the nerve (18 Hz) was also recorded for each motoneuron. 3. The initial EPSP in most bursts was larger than the EPSP measured as a result of low-frequency stimulation. This potentiation, defined as the ratio of the amplitude of the initial EPSP of the response to that of the low-frequency control, was found to vary systematically as a function of amplitude of the control EPSP as well as the stimulus paradigm used.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 1887-1902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yitzhak Schiller ◽  
Yael Bankirer

Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy. Direct electrical stimulation of the epileptogenic zone is a potential new treatment modality for this devastating disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of two electrical stimulation paradigms, sustained low-frequency stimulation and short trains of high-frequency stimulation, on epileptiform discharges in neocortical brain slices treated with either bicuculline or magnesium-free extracellular solution. Sustained low-frequency stimulation (5–30 min of 0.1- to 5-Hz stimulation) prevented both interictal-like discharges and seizure-like events in an intensity-, frequency-, and distance-dependent manner. Short trains of high-frequency stimulation (1–5 s of 25- to 200-Hz stimulation) prematurely terminated seizure-like events in a frequency-, intensity-, and duration-dependent manner. Roughly one half the seizures terminated within the 100-Hz stimulation train ( P < 0.01 compared with control), whereas the remaining seizures were significantly shortened by 53 ± 21% ( P < 0.01). Regarding the cellular mechanisms underlying the antiepileptic effects of electrical stimulation, both low- and high-frequency stimulation markedly depressed excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). The EPSP amplitude decreased by 75 ± 3% after 10-min, 1-Hz stimulation and by 86 ± 6% after 1-s, 100-Hz stimulation. Moreover, partial pharmacological blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors was sufficient to suppress epileptiform discharges and enhance the antiepileptic effects of stimulation. In conclusion, this study showed that both low- and high-frequency electrical stimulation possessed antiepileptic effects in the neocortex in vitro, established the parameters determining the antiepileptic efficacy of both stimulation paradigms, and suggested that the antiepileptic effects of stimulation were mediated mostly by short-term synaptic depression of excitatory neurotransmission.


1957 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. C. Lloyd

An assemblage of individual motoneurons constituting a synthetic motoneuron pool has been studied from the standpoint of relating monosynaptic reflex responses to frequency of afferent stimulation. Intensity of low frequency depression is not a simple function of transmitter potentiality. As frequency of stimulation increases from 3 per minute to 10 per second, low frequency depression increases in magnitude. Between 10 and approximately 60 per second low frequency depression apparently diminishes and subnormality becomes a factor in causing depression. At frequencies above 60 per second temporal summation occurs, but subnormality limits the degree of response attainable by summation. At low stimulation frequencies rhythm is determined by stimulation frequency. Interruptions of rhythmic firing depend solely upon temporal fluctuation of excitability. At high frequency of stimulation rhythm is determined by subnormality rather than inherent rhythmicity, and excitability fluctuation leads to instability of response rhythm. In short, whatever the stimulation frequency, random excitability fluctuation is the factor disrupting rhythmic response. Monosynaptic reflex response latency is stable during high frequency stimulation as it is in low frequency stimulation provided a significant extrinsic source of random bombardment is not present. In the presence of powerful random bombardment discharge may become random with respect to monosynaptic afferent excitation provided the latter is feeble. When this occurs it does so equally at low frequency and high frequency. Thus temporal summation is not a necessary factor. There is, then, no remaining evidence to suggest that the agency for temporal summation in the monosynaptic system becomes a transmitting agency in its own right.


1999 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1337-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A. Binder-Macleod ◽  
David W. Russ

No comparison of the amount of low-frequency fatigue (LFF) produced by different activation frequencies exists, although frequencies ranging from 10 to 100 Hz have been used to induce LFF. The quadriceps femoris of 11 healthy subjects were tested in 5 separate sessions. In each session, the force-generating ability of the muscle was tested before and after fatigue and at 2, ∼13, and ∼38 min of recovery. Brief (6-pulse), constant-frequency trains of 9.1, 14.3, 33.3, and 100 Hz and a 6-pulse, variable-frequency train with a mean frequency of 14.3 Hz were delivered at 1 train/s to induce fatigue. Immediately postfatigue, there was a significant effect of fatiguing protocol frequency. Muscles exhibited greater LFF after stimulation with the 9.1-, 14.3-, and variable-frequency trains. These three trains also produced the greatest mean force-time integrals during the fatigue test. At 2, ∼13, and ∼38 min of recovery, however, the LFF produced was independent of the fatiguing protocol frequency. The findings are consistent with theories suggesting two independent mechanisms behind LFF and may help identify the optimal activation pattern when functional electrical stimulation is used.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 2583-2596 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-J. Bourque ◽  
A. Kolta

Numerous evidence suggests that interneurons located in the lateral tegmentum at the level of the trigeminal motor nucleus contribute importantly to the circuitry involved in mastication. However, the question of whether these neurons participate actively to genesis of the rhythmic motor pattern or simply relay it to trigeminal motoneurons remains open. To answer this question, intracellular recordings were performed in an in vitro slice preparation comprising interneurons of the peritrigeminal area (PeriV) surrounding the trigeminal motor nucleus (NVmt) and the parvocellular reticular formation ventral and caudal to it (PCRt). Intracellular and extracellular injections of anterograde tracers were also used to examine the local connections established by these neurons. In 97% of recordings, electrical stimulation of adjacent areas evoked a postsynaptic potential (PSP). These PSPs were primarily excitatory, but inhibitory and biphasic responses were also induced. Most occurred at latencies longer than those required for monosynaptic transmission and were considered to involve oligosynaptic pathways. Both the anatomical and physiological findings show that all divisions of PeriV and PCRt are extensively interconnected. Most responses followed high-frequency stimulation (50 Hz) and showed little variability in latency indicating that the network reliably distributes inputs across all areas. In all neurons but one, excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) or inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) were also elicited by stimulation of NVmt, suggesting the existence of excitatory and inhibitory interneurons within the motor nucleus. In a number of cases, these PSPs were reproduced by local injection of glutamate in lieu of the electrical stimulation. All EPSPs induced by stimulation of PeriV, PCRt, or NVmt were sensitive to ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists 6-cyano-7-dinitroquinoxaline and d,l-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, while IPSPs were blocked by bicuculline and strychnine, antagonists of GABAA and glycine receptors. Examination of PeriV and PCRt intrinsic properties indicate that they form a fairly uniform network. Three types of neurons were identified on the basis of their firing adaptation properties. These types were not associated with particular regions. Only 5% of all neurons showed bursting behavior. Our results do not support the hypothesis that neurons of PeriV and PCRt participate actively to rhythm generation, but suggest instead that they are driven by rhythmical synaptic inputs. The organization of the network allows for rapid distribution of this rhythmic input across premotoneuron groups.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (57) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vytautas Streckis ◽  
Giedrius Gorianovas ◽  
Birutė Miseckaitė ◽  
Valerija Streckienė ◽  
Ronaldas Endrijaitis ◽  
...  

Low frequency fatigue (LFF) in 12—14 year-old adolescent boys (n = 10) doing 75 eccentric jumps performed every20 s from a platform 80 cm high was investigated.Thus the aim of this study was to find out if LFF manifests itself in the muscles of boys aged 12—14 years doing 75 dropjumps performed every 20 s at angles of 90˚ and 135˚ from a platform 80 cm high. The results of the research have shownthat doing 75 eccentric jumps performed every 20 s calls forth LFF in the muscles of boys that is particularly strong anddisappears more slowly at a shorter length of the muscle exercised. Thus, the hypothesis as to the sarcomeric origin ofLFF in the muscles of boys and men has been confirmed. Besides, the muscles of men of mature age are more resistantto LFF than those of boys. This fact, as well as a more acute pain brought about in the muscles of boys, indicates thatthe muscles of boys are less resistant to mechanical damage than those of men of mature age.It is maintained that as a result of the eccentric exercise performed, some portion of the weak sarcomeres gets tornand then the strong sarcomeres, i.e. the ones that develop contraction force have to work at a shorter muscle length.When muscle contraction length is short the sensitiveness of miofibrillas to Ca 2+  decreases. It is rather unexpectedthough that 24 h after the end of the exercise the force developed by electrostimulation at low frequencies (20 Hz) issmaller (p < 0.05), as compared to the initial force registered at a shorter muscle length. Since after the exercise therewas also a decrease in the force developed at a shorter muscle length in particular, the sarcomeres are believed tohave been damaged during eccentric exercise.Keywords: electrical stimulation, force, age, muscle damage, stretch-shortening exercise.


1981 ◽  
Vol 240 (4) ◽  
pp. H505-H510
Author(s):  
N. M. Buckley ◽  
P. Brazeau ◽  
I. D. Frasier ◽  
P. M. Gootman

The maturation of femoral circulatory responses to efferent lumbar nerve stimulation was tested in 51 developing swine (1 day-3 mo old) under pentobarbital sodium anesthesia (10-30 mg/kg). Aortic pressure, heart rate, and femoral and carotid arterial flows (measured by electromagnetic flow transducers) were recorded simultaneously. Femoral vascular resistance was calculated as mean aortic pressure/mean flow. Transection of the lumbar nerve fibers below the last ganglion in the sympathetic chain did not after femoral resistance in day-old animals but decreased femoral resistance in swine 1 wk of age and older. Efferent lumbar nerve stimulation at various combinations of frequencies and intensities revealed an atropine-blockable vasodilator component in the femoral circulatory response in swine 1 mo of age and older. After alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade with phentolamine (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg), femoral vasodilation occurred during low-frequency and -intensity stimulation of the lumbar nerve only in animals 1 mo of age and older. Acetylcholine (2 micrograms ia) caused a decrease in femoral resistance at all ages. Vasoconstrictor effects of high-frequency stimulation (5-10 Hz) were present at all ages and were age dependent. The results of these experiments suggest that the femoral circulation in swine at birth in innervated by functionally active vasoconstrictor fibers, which do not provide a tonic influence on femoral resistance until late in the first postnatal week. Furthermore, although femoral vascular cholinergic receptors are demonstrable at birth, there appears to be a delay in the maturation of functionally active vasodilator fibers.


1985 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1527-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. K. Aldrich ◽  
D. Appel

Diaphragmatic contractility was assessed in spontaneously breathing ketamine-anesthetized rabbits by measuring the strength of diaphragmatic contraction in response to bilateral supramaximal phrenic nerve stimulation at frequencies between 10 and 100 Hz. During 10–180 min of inspiratory resistive loading, contractility decreased by approximately 40%, and hypoxemia and both respiratory and lactic acidosis developed. After 10 min of recovery, both the response to high-frequency stimulation (100 Hz) and the arterial PO2 and PCO2 returned to base-line levels, whereas metabolic acidosis and reduced response to low-frequency stimulation (10–20 Hz) persisted. Similar levels of hypoxemia and respiratory acidosis in the absence of inspiratory resistive loading did not alter diaphragmatic contractility. We conclude that in anesthetized rabbits excessive inspiratory resistive loading results in partially reversible diaphragm fatigue of the high- and low-frequency types, accompanied by hypoventilation and lactic acidosis.


2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 2412-2420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ikeda ◽  
Tatsuya Asai ◽  
Kazuyuki Murase

We investigated the neuronal plasticity in the spinal dorsal horn and its relationship with spinal inhibitory networks using an optical-imaging method that detects neuronal excitation. High-intensity single-pulse stimulation of the dorsal root activating both A and C fibers evoked an optical response in the lamina II (the substantia gelatinosa) of the dorsal horn in transverse slices of 12- to 25-day-old rat spinal cords stained with a voltage-sensitive dye, RH-482. The optical response, reflecting the net neuronal excitation along the slice-depth, was depressed by 28% for more than 1 h after a high-frequency conditioning stimulation of A fibers in the dorsal root (3 tetani of 100 Hz for 1 s with an interval of 10 s). The depression was not induced in a perfusion solution containing an NMDA antagonist,dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5; 30 μM). In a solution containing the inhibitory amino acid antagonists bicuculline (1 μM) and strychnine (3 μM), and also in a low Cl−solution, the excitation evoked by the single-pulse stimulation was enhanced after the high-frequency stimulation by 31 and 18%, respectively. The enhanced response after conditioning was depotentiated by a low-frequency stimulation of A fibers (0.2–1 Hz for 10 min). Furthermore, once the low-frequency stimulation was applied, the high-frequency conditioning could not potentiate the excitation. Inhibitory transmissions thus regulate the mode of synaptic plasticity in the lamina II most likely at afferent terminals. The high-frequency conditioning elicits a long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic efficacy under a greater activity of inhibitory amino acids, but it results in a long-term potentiation (LTP) when inhibition is reduced. The low-frequency preconditioning inhibits the potentiation induction and maintenance by the high-frequency conditioning. These mechanisms might underlie robust changes of nociception, such as hypersensitivity after injury or inflammation and pain relief after electrical or cutaneous stimulation.


1961 ◽  
Vol 200 (5) ◽  
pp. 916-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yojiro Kawamura ◽  
Shusaku Tsukamoto ◽  
Kiyokatsu Miyoshi

Gnashing was induced in rabbits by high-frequency cortical stimulation. The frequencies ranged from 60 to 1000 cycle/sec. Strictly circumscribed anteromedial cortical areas were responsive to stimulation. These loci are similar to those which induced chewing movements with low-frequency stimulation (30 cycle/ sec). Electrical stimulation within the above-described range induced gnashing of a constant rhythm of 3–4 cycle/sec that was almost independent of the stimulation frequency. The rate of experimentally induced gnashing is slower than the rate of experimentally induced chewing movements of 5–6 cycle/sec. Gnashing motion of the lower jaw consisted of the vertical and dominant lateral movements; the lateral deflection was more predominant than that of the chewing movement. Gnashing was readily induced with low-frequency stimulation after topical application of a 0.5% solution of strychnine nitrate on the cortical jaw motor area.


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