Biomaterial Database

Recruitment of motor units in human flexor carpi ulnaris. 1993

K E Jones, and P Bawa, and A S McMillan

School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

In 1949, Denny-Brown reported that the motoneuron pool of the human flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscle was fractionated into subpopulations, each subpopulation being activated during a different voluntary motor task. The following report presents data on motor unit recruitment in the human FCU muscle for the tasks of isometric flexion and ulnar deviation, cocontraction of the forearm muscles and non-isometric flexion of the wrist. These observations show that every FCU motor unit tested reliably, contributed to all four tasks, that is, no separate subpopulations were observed for any of the contractions tested. Furthermore, the order of recruitment was the same for all four tasks.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007537	Isometric Contraction	Muscular contractions characterized by increase in tension without change in length.	Contraction, Isometric,Contractions, Isometric,Isometric Contractions
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009046	Motor Neurons	Neurons which activate MUSCLE CELLS.	Neurons, Motor,Alpha Motorneurons,Motoneurons,Motor Neurons, Alpha,Neurons, Alpha Motor,Alpha Motor Neuron,Alpha Motor Neurons,Alpha Motorneuron,Motoneuron,Motor Neuron,Motor Neuron, Alpha,Motorneuron, Alpha,Motorneurons, Alpha,Neuron, Alpha Motor,Neuron, Motor
D009132	Muscles	Contractile tissue that produces movement in animals.	Muscle Tissue,Muscle,Muscle Tissues,Tissue, Muscle,Tissues, Muscle
D011999	Recruitment, Neurophysiological	The spread of response if stimulation is prolonged. (Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary, 8th ed.)	Recruitment, Motor Unit,Motor Unit Recruitment,Neurophysiological Recruitment
D005260	Female		Females
D006225	Hand	The distal part of the arm beyond the wrist in humans and primates, that includes the palm, fingers, and thumb.	Hands
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000200	Action Potentials	Abrupt changes in the membrane potential that sweep along the CELL MEMBRANE of excitable cells in response to excitation stimuli.	Spike Potentials,Nerve Impulses,Action Potential,Impulse, Nerve,Impulses, Nerve,Nerve Impulse,Potential, Action,Potential, Spike,Potentials, Action,Potentials, Spike,Spike Potential