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Physiological Cross-sectional Area (physiological + cross-sectional_area)
Selected AbstractsResistance training increases in vivo quadriceps femoris muscle specific tension in young menACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 1 2010R. M. Erskine Abstract Aim:, The present study investigated whether in vivo human quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle specific tension changed following strength training by systematically determining QF maximal force and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA). Methods:, Seventeen untrained men (20 ± 2 years) performed high-intensity leg-extension training three times a week for 9 weeks. Maximum tendon force (Ft) was calculated from maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, corrected for agonist and antagonist muscle activation, and moment arm length (dPT) before and after training. QF PCSA was calculated as the sum of the four component muscle volumes, each divided by its fascicle length. Dividing Ft by the sum of the component muscle PCSAs, each multiplied by the cosine of the respective fascicle pennation angle, provided QF specific tension. Results:, MVC torque and QF activation increased by 31% (P < 0.01) and 3% (P < 0.05), respectively, but there was no change in antagonist co-activation or dPT. Subsequently, Ft increased by 27% (P < 0.01). QF volume increased by 6% but fascicle length did not change in any of the component muscles, leading to a 6% increase in QF PCSA (P < 0.05). Fascicle pennation angle increased by 5% (P < 0.01) but only in the vastus lateralis muscle. Consequently, QF specific tension increased by 20% (P < 0.01). Conclusion:, An increase in human muscle specific tension appears to be a real consequence of resistance training rather than being an artefact of measuring errors but the underlying cause of this phenomenon remains to be determined. [source] Muscle moment arms of the gibbon hind limb: implications for hylobatid locomotionJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2010Anthony J. Channon Abstract Muscles facilitate skeletal movement via the production of a torque or moment about a joint. The magnitude of the moment produced depends on both the force of muscular contraction and the size of the moment arm used to rotate the joint. Hence, larger muscle moment arms generate larger joint torques and forces at the point of application. The moment arms of a number of gibbon hind limb muscles were measured on four cadaveric specimens (one Hylobates lar, one H. moloch and two H. syndactylus). The tendon travel technique was used, utilizing an electro-goniometer and a linear voltage displacement transducer. The data were analysed using a technique based on a differentiated cubic spline and normalized to remove the effect of body size. The data demonstrated a functional differentiation between voluminous muscles with short fascicles having small muscle moment arms and muscles with longer fascicles and comparatively smaller physiological cross-sectional area having longer muscle moment arms. The functional implications of these particular configurations were simulated using a simple geometric fascicle strain model that predicts that the rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscles are more likely to act primarily at their distal joints (knee and ankle, respectively) because they have short fascicles. The data also show that the main hip and knee extensors maintain a very small moment arm throughout the range of joint angles seen in the locomotion of gibbons, which (coupled to voluminous, short-fascicled muscles) might help facilitate rapid joint rotation during powerful movements. [source] Mechanical constraints on the functional morphology of the gibbon hind limbJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2009Anthony J. Channon Abstract Gibbons utilize a number of locomotor modes in the wild, including bipedalism, leaping and, most of all, brachiation. Each locomotor mode puts specific constraints on the morphology of the animal; in some cases these may be complementary, whereas in others they may conflict. Despite several studies of the locomotor biomechanics of gibbons, very little is known about the musculoskeletal architecture of the limbs. In this study, we present quantitative anatomical data of the hind limb for four species of gibbon (Hylobates lar, H. moloch, H. pileatus and Symphalangus syndactylus). Muscle mass and fascicle lengths were obtained from all of the major hind limb muscles and the physiological cross-sectional area was calculated and scaled to remove the effect of body size. The results clearly indicate that, for all of the species studied, the major hip, knee and ankle extensors are short-fascicled and pennate. The major hip and knee flexors, however, are long-fascicled, parallel muscles with relatively small physiological cross-sectional areas. We hypothesize that the short-fascicled muscles could be coupled with a power-amplifying mechanism and are predominantly useful in leaping. The long-fascicled knee and hip flexors are adapted for a wide range of joint postures and can play a role in flexing the legs during brachiation. [source] Musculoskeletal underpinnings to differences in killing behavior between North American accipiters (Falconiformes: Accipitridae) and falcons (Falconidae)JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Diego Sustaita Abstract Accipiters (Accipiter spp.) and falcons (Falco spp.) both use their feet to seize prey, but falcons kill primarily with their beaks, whereas accipiters kill with their feet. This study examines the mechanistic basis to differences in their modes of dispatching prey, by focusing on the myology and biomechanics of the jaws, digits, and distal hindlimb. Bite, grip, and distal hindlimb flexion forces were estimated from measurements of physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) and indices of mechanical advantage (MA) for the major jaw adductors, and digit and tarsometatarsal flexors. Estimated bite force, total jaw adductor PCSA, and jaw MA (averaged over adductors) tended to be relatively and absolutely greater in falcons, reflecting their emphasis on biting for dispatching their prey. Differences between genera in estimated grip force, total digit flexor PCSA, and digit MA (averaged over inter-phalangeal joints and digits) were not as clear-cut; each of these parameters scaled positively allometric in accipiters, which may reflect the scaling of both prey size, and the proportion of mammalian prey consumed by this lineage with increasing body size. Estimated tarsometatarsal force was greater in falcons than in accipiters, due to their greater MA, which may reflect selection for incurring greater forces during prey strikes. Conversely, the comparatively lower tarsometatarsal MA in accipiters reflects their capacity for greater foot speed potentially necessary for grasping elusive prey. Thus, this study elucidates how differences in jaw and hindlimb musculoskeletal morphology of accipiters and falcons are reflected in differences in their killing modes, and through differences in their force-generating capacities. J. Morphol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparative analysis of masseter fiber architecture in tree-gouging (Callithrix jacchus) and nongouging (Saguinus oedipus) callitrichidsJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Andrea B. Taylor Abstract Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) (Callitrichidae, Primates) share a broadly similar diet of fruits, insects, and tree exudates. Common marmosets, however, differ from tamarins by actively gouging trees with their anterior teeth to elicit tree exudate flow. During tree gouging, marmosets produce relatively large jaw gapes, but do not necessarily produce relatively large bite forces at the anterior teeth. We compared the fiber architecture of the masseter muscle in tree-gouging Callithrix jacchus (n = 10) to nongouging Saguinus oedipus (n = 8) to determine whether the marmoset masseter facilitates producing these large gapes during tree gouging. We predict that the marmoset masseter has relatively longer fibers and, hence, greater potential muscle excursion (i.e., a greater range of motion through increased muscle stretch). Conversely, because of the expected trade-off between excursion and force production in muscle architecture, we predict that the cotton-top tamarin masseter has more pinnate fibers and increased physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) as compared to common marmosets. Likewise, the S. oedipus masseter is predicted to have a greater proportion of tendon relative to muscle fiber as compared to the common marmoset masseter. Common marmosets have absolutely and relatively longer masseter fibers than cotton-top tamarins. Given that fiber length is directly proportional to muscle excursion and by extension contraction velocity, this result suggests that marmosets have masseters designed for relatively greater stretching and, hence, larger gapes. Conversely, the cotton-top tamarin masseter has a greater angle of pinnation (but not significantly so), larger PCSA, and higher proportion of tendon. The significantly larger PCSA in the tamarin masseter suggests that their masseter has relatively greater force production capabilities as compared to marmosets. Collectively, these results suggest that the fiber architecture of the common marmoset masseter is part of a suite of features of the masticatory apparatus that facilitates the production of relatively large gapes during tree gouging. J. Morphol. 261:276,285, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Development of an anatomically based whole-body musculoskeletal model of the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Naomichi Ogihara Abstract We constructed a three-dimensional whole-body musculoskeletal model of the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) based on computed tomography and dissection of a cadaver. The skeleton was modeled as a chain of 20 bone segments connected by joints. Joint centers and rotational axes were estimated by joint morphology based on joint surface approximation using a quadric function. The path of each muscle was defined by a line segment connecting origin to insertion through an intermediary point if necessary. Mass and fascicle length of each were systematically recorded to calculate physiological cross-sectional area to estimate the capacity of each muscle to generate force. Using this anatomically accurate model, muscle moment arms and force vectors generated by individual limb muscles at the foot and hand were calculated to computationally predict muscle functions. Furthermore, three-dimensional whole-body musculoskeletal kinematics of the Japanese macaque was reconstructed from ordinary video sequences based on this model and a model-based matching technique. The results showed that the proposed model can successfully reconstruct and visualize anatomically reasonable, natural musculoskeletal motion of the Japanese macaque during quadrupedal/bipedal locomotion, demonstrating the validity and efficacy of the constructed musculoskeletal model. The present biologically relevant model may serve as a useful tool for comprehensive understanding of the design principles of the musculoskeletal system and the control mechanisms for locomotion in the Japanese macaque and other primates. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparative Analysis of Muscle Architecture in Primate Arm and ForearmANATOMIA, HISTOLOGIA, EMBRYOLOGIA, Issue 2 2010Yasuhiro Kikuchi With 7 figures and 3 tables Summary A comparative study of myological morphology, i.e. muscle mass (MM), muscle fascicle length and muscle physiological cross-sectional area (an indicator of the force capacity of muscles), was conducted in nine primate species: human (Homo sapiens), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), gibbon (Hylobates spp.), papio (Papio hamadryas), lutong (Trachypithecus francoisi), green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops), macaque monkey (Macaca spp.), capuchin monkey (Cebus albifrons) and squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). The MM distributions and the percentages in terms of functional categories were calculated as the ratios of the muscle masses. Moreover, individual normalized data were compared directly amongst species, independent of size differences. The results show that the different ratios of forearm-rotation muscles between chimpanzee and gibbons may be related to the differences in their main positional behaviour, i.e. knuckle-walking in chimpanzees and brachiation in gibbons, and the different frequencies of arm-raising locomotion between these two species. Moreover, monkeys have larger normalized MM values for the elbow extensor muscles than apes, which may be attributed to the fact that almost all monkeys engage in quadrupedal locomotion. The characteristics of the muscle internal parameters of ape and human are discussed in comparison with those of monkey. [source] Mechanical constraints on the functional morphology of the gibbon hind limbJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2009Anthony J. Channon Abstract Gibbons utilize a number of locomotor modes in the wild, including bipedalism, leaping and, most of all, brachiation. Each locomotor mode puts specific constraints on the morphology of the animal; in some cases these may be complementary, whereas in others they may conflict. Despite several studies of the locomotor biomechanics of gibbons, very little is known about the musculoskeletal architecture of the limbs. In this study, we present quantitative anatomical data of the hind limb for four species of gibbon (Hylobates lar, H. moloch, H. pileatus and Symphalangus syndactylus). Muscle mass and fascicle lengths were obtained from all of the major hind limb muscles and the physiological cross-sectional area was calculated and scaled to remove the effect of body size. The results clearly indicate that, for all of the species studied, the major hip, knee and ankle extensors are short-fascicled and pennate. The major hip and knee flexors, however, are long-fascicled, parallel muscles with relatively small physiological cross-sectional areas. We hypothesize that the short-fascicled muscles could be coupled with a power-amplifying mechanism and are predominantly useful in leaping. The long-fascicled knee and hip flexors are adapted for a wide range of joint postures and can play a role in flexing the legs during brachiation. [source] Masticatory loading and bone adaptation in the supraorbital torus of developing macaquesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009K. Kupczik Abstract Research on the evolution and adaptive significance of primate craniofacial morphologies has focused on adult, fully developed individuals. Here, we investigate the possible relationship between the local stress environment arising from masticatory loadings and the emergence of the supraorbital torus in the developing face of the crab-eating macaque Macaca fascicularis. By using finite element analysis (FEA), we are able to evaluate the hypothesis that strain energy density (SED) magnitudes are high in subadult individuals with resulting bone growth in the supraorbital torus. We developed three micro-CT-based FEA models of M. fascicularis skulls ranging in dental age from deciduous to permanent dentitions and validated them against published experimental data. Applied masticatory muscle forces were estimated from physiological cross-sectional areas of macaque cadaveric specimens. The models were sequentially constrained at each working side tooth to simulate the variation of the bite point applied during masticatory function. Custom FEA software was used to solve the voxel-based models and SED and principal strains were computed. A physiological superposition SED map throughout the face was created by allocating to each element the maximum SED value from each of the load cases. SED values were found to be low in the supraorbital torus region throughout ontogeny, while they were consistently high in the zygomatic arch and infraorbital region. Thus, if the supraorbital torus arises to resist masticatory loads, it is either already adapted in each of our subadult models so that we do not observe high SED or a lower site-specific bone deposition threshold must apply. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] |