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Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle (medial + gastrocnemius_muscle)
Kinds of Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle Selected AbstractsForce,frequency and force,length properties in skeletal muscle following unilateral focal ischaemic insult in a rat modelACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009G. N. Dormer Abstract Aim:, Our purpose was to quantify skeletal muscle properties following unilateral focal ischaemic insult (stroke) in a rat model. Methods:, Male rats were divided into two groups: stroke and 2 weeks recovery (n = 8) and control group (n = 7). Stroke was induced in the area of the motor neocortex containing hind limb corticospinal neurones. Contractile properties of the medial gastrocnemius muscle were measured in situ in both limbs. Force,length and force,frequency properties were measured before and 35 min after 5 min fatiguing stimulation. Results:, Stroke resulted in bilateral tetanic fade during 200 Hz stimulation. When normalized to 100 Hz contractions, force at 200 Hz was 95.4 ± 0.9% for the paretic muscles, 96.7 ± 1.7% for non-paretic muscles and 102.2 ± 1.0% for muscles of control rats (P = 0.006). Prior to fatiguing contractions, there was no difference in the length dependence of force. During repetitive contractions, active force fell significantly to 19 ± 4 and 25 ± 5% of initial force in paretic and non-paretic muscles of animals with a stroke respectively. In control animals active force fell to 37 ± 5%. During repetitive contractions, fusion index increased in muscles of stroke animals to 1.0 ± 0 but in control animals it was 0.95 ± 0.02. There was selective force depression at short lengths for fatigued paretic muscle (significant difference at muscle lengths less than reference length ,2 mm). Conclusion:, The tetanic fade at high stimulation frequencies indicates that there may be activation failure following focal ischaemic insult. The greater magnitude of fatigue and selective depression at short lengths following repetitive contractions should be investigated further. [source] Changes in the contractile properties of motor units in the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle after one month of treadmill trainingACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 4 2008M. Pogrzebna Abstract Aim:, The influence of 4 weeks treadmill training on the contractile properties of motor units (MUs) in the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle was investigated. Methods:, A population of 18 Wistar rats was divided into two groups: trained on a treadmill (n = 7, locomotion speed 27 cm s,1, 1 km daily, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks) and control (n = 11). The contractile properties of isolated MUs were studied. Functional isolation of units was achieved by electrical stimulation of filaments of the ventral roots. A total of 299 MUs were investigated (142 in the control group and 157 in the trained group). They were divided into fast fatigable (FF), fast resistant to fatigue (FR) and slow (S). Their proportions and parameters of contractions were analysed. Results:, Following training, the number of FF units decreased and the number of FR units increased. The distribution of the fatigue index changed within these two types of fast units. The twitch and tetanus forces increased considerably in fast MUs, mainly in those of the FF type. The contraction and relaxation times shortened in the FR and S MUs. The steep part of the force,frequency curves shifted towards higher stimulation frequencies in FR and S units, while in FF units the shift was in the opposite direction. Conclusion:, The significant change in the proportions of fast MUs following training indicates FF to FR transformation. The various effects of training seen in the different MU types help explain the rationale behind mixed training. [source] Metabolic cost of lengthening, isometric and shortening contractions in maximally stimulated rat skeletal muscleACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 2 2004J. G. M. Beltman Abstract Aim:, The present study investigated the energy cost of lengthening, isometric and shortening contractions in rat muscle (n = 19). Methods:, With electrical stimulation the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle was maximally stimulated to perform 10 lengthening, isometric and shortening contractions (velocity 25 mm s,1) under experimental conditions (e.g. temperature, movement velocity) that resemble conditions in human movement. Results:, Mean ± SD force,time-integral of the first contraction was significantly different between the three protocols, 2.4 ± 0.2, 1.7 ± 0.2 and 1.0 ± 0.2 N s, respectively (P < 0.05). High-energy phosphate consumption was not significantly different between the three modes of exercise but a trend could be observed from lengthening (7.7 ± 2.7 ,mol , P muscle,1) to isometric (8.9 ± 2.2 ,mol , P muscle,1) to shortening contractions (10.4 ± 1.6 ,mol , P muscle,1). The ratio of high-energy phosphate consumption to force,time-integral was significantly lower for lengthening [0.3 ± 0.1 ,mol , P (N s),1] and isometric [0.6 ± 0.2 ,mol , P (N s),1] contractions compared with shortening [1.2 ± 0.2 ,mol , P (N s),1] contractions (P < 0.05). Conclusion:, The present results of maximally stimulated muscles are comparable with data in the literature for voluntary human exercise showing that the energy cost of force production during lengthening exercise is ,30% of that in shortening exercise. The present study suggests that this finding in humans probably does reflect intrinsic muscle properties rather than effects of differential recruitment and/or coactivation. [source] Effects of transient muscle contractions and stretching on the tendon structures in vivoACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 2 2002K. KUBO ABSTRACT This study compared the effects of static stretching (ST) and repeated muscle contractions (CON) on the viscoelastic properties of tendon structures in vivo. Eight male subjects performed ST (passively flexed to 35 of dorsiflexion) for 5 min and 50 repetitions of isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for 3 s each with 3 s relaxation. Before and after each task, the elongation of the tendon and aponeurosis of the medial gastrocnemius muscle (MG) was directly measured by ultrasonography, while the subjects performed ramp isometric plantar flexion up to MVC, followed by a ramp relaxation. The relationship between the estimated muscle force (Fm) and tendon elongation (L) during the ascending phase was applied to a linear regression, the slope of which was defined as stiffness of the tendon structures. The percentage of the area within the Fm,L loop to the area beneath the curve during the ascending phase was calculated as an index representing hysteresis. The ST protocol significantly decreased the stiffness (,8%) and hysteresis (29%)., respectively. In contrast, the CON protocol significantly decreased the stiffness, but not the hysteresis. These results suggested that the stretching and repeated contractions would make the tendon structures more complaint, and further decreased the hysteresis of the tendon structures. [source] Intramuscular AAV delivery of NT-3 alters synaptic transmission to motoneurons in adult ratsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2010Jeffrey C. Petruska Abstract We examined whether elevating levels of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) would alter connections made by muscle spindle afferent fibers on motoneurons. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes AAV1, AAV2 and AAV5, selected for their tropism profile, were engineered with the NT-3 gene and administered to the medial gastrocnemius muscle in adult rats. ELISA studies in muscle, DRG and spinal cord revealed that NT-3 concentration in all tissues peaked about 3 months after a single viral injection; after 6 months NT-3 concentration returned to normal values. Intracellular recording in triceps surae motoneurons revealed complex electrophysiological changes. Moderate elevation in cord NT-3 resulted in diminished segmental excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude, perhaps as a result of the observed decrease in motoneuron input resistance. With further elevation in NT-3 expression, the decline in EPSP amplitude was reversed, indicating that NT-3 at higher concentration could increase EPSP amplitude. No correlation was observed between EPSP amplitude and NT-3 concentration in the DRG. Treatment with control viruses could elevate NT-3 levels minimally resulting in measurable electrophysiological effects, perhaps as a result of inflammation associated with injection. EPSPs elicited by stimulation of the ventrolateral funiculus underwent a consistent decline in amplitude independent of NT-3 level. These novel correlations between modified NT-3 expression and single-cell electrophysiological parameters indicate that intramuscular administration of AAV(NT-3) can exert long-lasting effects on synaptic transmission to motoneurons. This approach to neurotrophin delivery could be useful in modifying spinal function after injury. [source] Changes in contractile properties of motor units of the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle after spinal cord transectionEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Jan Celichowski The effects of complete transection of the spinal cord at the level of Th9/10 on contractile properties of the motor units (MUs) in the rat medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle were investigated. Our results indicate that 1 month after injury the contraction time (time-to-peak) and half-relaxation time were prolonged and the maximal tetanic force in most of the MUs in the MG muscle of spinal rats was reduced. The resistance to fatigue also decreased in most of the MUs in the MG of spinal animals. Moreover, the post-tetanic potentiation of twitches in MUs diminished after spinal cord transection. Criteria for the division of MUs into three types, namely slow (S), fast fatigue resistant (FR) and fast fatigable (FF), applied in intact animals, could not be directly used in spinal animals owing to changes in contractile properties of MUs. The ,sag' phenomenon observed in unfused tetani of fast units in intact animals essentially disappeared in spinal rats and it was only detected in few units, at low frequencies of stimulation only. Therefore, the MUs in spinal rats were classified as fast or slow on the basis of an adjusted borderline of 20 ms, instead of 18 ms as in intact animals, owing to a slightly longer contraction time of those fast motor units with the ,sag'. We conclude that all basic contractile properties of rat motor units in the medial gastrocnemius muscle are significantly changed 1 month after complete spinal cord transection, with the majority of motor units being more fatigable and slower than those of intact rats. [source] Loss of synaptophysin-positive boutons on lumbar motor neurons innervating the medial gastrocnemius muscle of the SOD1G93A G1H transgenic mouse model of ALSJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005Da Wei Zang Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a common form of motor neuron disease (MND) that involves both upper and lower nervous systems. In the SOD1G93A G1H transgenic mouse, a widely used animal model of human ALS, a significant pathology is linked to the degeneration of lower motor neurons in the lumbar spinal cord and brainstem. In the current study, the number of presynaptic boutons immunoreactive for synaptophysin was estimated on retrogradely labeled soma and proximal dendrites of , and , motor neurons innervating the medial gastrocnemius muscle. No changes were detected on both soma and proximal dendrites at postnatal day 60 (P60) of , and , motor neurons. By P90 and P120, however, , motor neuron soma had a reduction of 14 and 33% and a dendritic reduction of 19 and 36%, respectively. By P90 and P120, , motor neuron soma had a reduction of 17 and 41% and a dendritic reduction of 19 and 35%, respectively. This study shows that levels of afferent innervation significantly decreased on surviving , and , motor neurons that innervate the medial gastrocnemius muscle. This finding suggests that the loss of motor neurons and the decrease of synaptophysin in the remaining motor neurons could lead to functional motor deficits, which may contribute significantly to the progression of ALS/MND. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Alteration of proton diffusivity associated with passive muscle extension and contractionJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 4 2008Masamitsu Hatakenaka MD Abstract Purpose To determine whether passive muscle extension and contraction affect the proton diffusivity of the muscle. Materials and Methods Five male subjects were examined. The fractional anisotropy (FA), and primary (,1), secondary (,2), and tertiary eigenvalues (,3) of the right tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius muscles were compared between conditions of passive plantar flexion and passive dorsiflexion of the ankle joint. Results In the tibialis anterior, FA, and ,1 at dorsiflexion decreased significantly (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively) compared to those at plantar flexion, but ,3 at dorsiflexion increased significantly (P = 0.02). In the gastrocnemius, FA and ,1 at dorsiflexion increased significantly (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively) compared to those at plantar flexion, but ,3 at dorsiflexion decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The ,2 value showed no significant change in either the tibialis anterior or medial gastrocnemius. Conclusion The results indicate that passive muscle extension and contraction associated with passive joint movement would affect the proton diffusivity of the muscle. This alteration of proton diffusivity is probably associated with microscopic structural changes of the muscle. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;27:932,937. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Rapid 3D-T1, mapping of the knee joint at 3.0T with parallel imagingMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2006S. Kubilay Pakin Abstract Three-dimensional spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame (3D-T1,) with parallel imaging at 3.0T was implemented on a whole-body clinical scanner. A 3D gradient-echo sequence with a self-compensating spin-lock pulse cluster was combined with generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions (GRAPPA) to acquire T1, -weighted images. 3D-T1, maps of an agarose phantom and three healthy subjects were constructed using an eight-channel phased-array coil without parallel imaging and with parallel imaging acceleration factors of 2 and 3, in order to assess the reproducibility of the method. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the median T1, of the agarose phantom was 0.44%, which shows excellent reproducibility. The reproducibility of in vivo 3D-T1, maps was also investigated in three healthy subjects. The CV of the median T1, of the patellar cartilage varied between ,1.1% and 4.3%. Similarly, the CV varied between ,2.1,5.8%, ,1.4,8.7%, and ,1.5,4.1% for the biceps femoris and lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles, respectively. The preliminary results demonstrate that 3D-T1, maps can be constructed with good reproducibility using parallel imaging. 3D-T1, with parallel imaging capability is an important clinical tool for reducing both the total acquisition time and RF energy deposition at 3T. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Novel dysferlin mutations and characteristic muscle atrophy in late-onset Miyoshi myopathyMUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue 5 2004Naoki Suzuki MD Abstract Miyoshi myopathy is characterized by weakness of the calf muscles during early adulthood. We report a case of late-onset Miyoshi myopathy presenting at 48 years of age, with novel mutations in the dysferlin gene. Muscle computed tomography clearly revealed severe atrophy in the soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles. Even older patients with atrophy in the posterior compartment of the distal lower extremities and a relatively high serum creatine kinase level should be examined for the dysferlin gene. Muscle Nerve 29: 721,723, 2004 [source] Comparison of oxidative capacity among leg muscles in humans using gated 31P 2-D chemical shift imagingNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 10 2009Sean C. Forbes Abstract In many small animals there are distinct differences in fiber-type composition among limb muscles, and these differences typically correspond to marked disparities in the oxidative capacities. However, whether there are similar differences in the oxidative capacity among leg muscles in humans is less clear. The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery, a functional in vivo marker of oxidative capacity, in the lateral and medial gastrocnemius, soleus, and the anterior compartment of the leg (primarily the tibialis anterior) of humans. Subjects performed plantar flexion and dorsiflexion gated exercise protocols consisting of 70 sets of three rapid dynamic contractions (<2.86,s) at 20,s intervals (total: 23.3,min). Starting after the sixth set of contractions, 31P 2-D CSI (8,×,8 matrix, 14,16,cm FOV, 3,cm slice, TR 2.86,s) were acquired via a linear transmit/receive surface coil using a GE 3T Excite System. The CSI data were zero-filled (32,×,32) and a single FID was produced for each time point in the lateral and medial gastrocnemius, soleus, and anterior compartment. The time constant for PCr recovery was calculated from ,,=,-,t/ln[D/(D,+,Q)], where Q is the percentage change in PCr due to contraction during the steady-state portion of the protocol, D the additional drop in PCr from rest, and ,t is the interval between contractions. The , of PCr recovery was longer (p,<,0.05) in the anterior compartment (32,±,3,s) than in the lateral (23,±,2,s) and medial gastrocnemius muscles (24,±,3,s) and the soleus (22,±,3,s) muscles. These findings suggest that the oxidative capacity is lower in the anterior compartment than in the triceps surae muscles and is consistent with the notion that fiber-type phenotypes vary among the leg muscles of humans. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||