Impaired regulation post-stroke of motor unit firing behavior during volitional relaxation of knee extensor torque assessed using high density surface EMG decomposition

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2015:2015:4606-9. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319420.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use high density surface EMG recordings to quantify stroke-related abnormalities in motor unit firing behavior during repeated sub-maximal knee extensor contractions. A high density surface EMG system (sEMG) was used to record and extract single motor unit firing behavior in the vastus lateralis muscle of 6 individuals with chronic stroke and 8 controls during repeated sub-maximal isometric knee extension contractions. Paretic motor unit firing rates were increased with subsequent contractions (6.19±0.35 pps vs 7.89±0.66 pps, P <; 0.05) during task phases of torque decline as compared to controls (6.95±0.40 pps vs 6.68±0.41 pps). In addition, corresponding rates of torque decline were decreased for the paretic leg as compared to the non-paretic leg. These results suggest that regulation of declining forces may be impaired post stroke due to prolonged firing of paretic motor units.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Electromyography
  • Humans
  • Isometric Contraction
  • Knee
  • Muscle, Skeletal
  • Stroke*
  • Torque