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J Appl Physiol 94: 983-990, 2003. First published November 15, 2002; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00717.2002
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Vol. 94, Issue 3, 983-990, March 2003

Effect of quadriceps femoris muscle length on neural activation during isometric and concentric contractions

Nicolas Babault1, Michel Pousson1, Anne Michaut1,2, and Jacques Van Hoecke1

1 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale/ERIT-M 0207 Motricité-Plasticité, UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne, BP 27877, 21078 Dijon; 2 Laboratoire de Biomécanique et de physiologie, Institut National des Sports et de l'Education Physique, 75012 Paris, France

The effect of muscle length on neural drive (here termed "neural activation") was investigated from electromyographic activities and activation levels (twitch interpolation). The neural activation was measured in nine men during isometric and concentric (30 and 120°/s) knee extensions for three muscle lengths (35, 55, and 75° knee flexion, i.e., shortened, intermediate, and lengthened muscles, respectively). Long (76°), medium (56°), and short (36°) ranges of motion were used to investigate the effect of the duration of concentric contraction. Neural activation was found to depend on muscle length. Reducing the duration of contraction had no effect. Neural activation was higher with short muscle length during isometric contractions and was weaker for shortened than for intermediate and lengthened muscles performing 120°/s concentric contractions. Muscle length had no effect on 30°/s concentric neural activation. Peripheral mechanisms and discharge properties of the motoneurons could partly explain the observed differences in the muscle length effect. We thus conclude that muscle length has a predominant effect on neural activation that would modulate the angular velocity dependency.

contraction duration; electromyogram activity; twitch interpolation; angular position


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