title: Load compensation in human masseter muscles.
abstract: The reaction of masseter and digastric muscles to changes in the load applied during a movement was studied in human volunteers. 2. Rapid stretch of the jaw-closing muscles evoked a monosynaptic jaw-jerk reflex response in the masseteric electromyogram (e.m.g.) after a delay of 6-8 msec. 3. The averaged integrated e.m.g. activity of the masseter was increased 5-10 msec after the rapid application of a load during voluntary closure of the jaw. It was not necessary to stretch the muscle to obtain this apparently monosynaptic response. 4. A compensatory increase in the velocity of movement followed 6-10 msec after the e.m.g. peak. 5. Unloading the masseter muscle during contraction was followed by a fall in e.m.g. activity, beginning after a latency of 6-5--1 msec, with later phases of depression beginning 27--36 and 60--70 msec after unloading. 6. The spindle-poor digastric muscles were not monosynaptically activated during loading, but responded with a latency of 24--34 msec. 7. It is concluded that monosynaptic e.m.g. changes are a prominent feature of the load compensation system in human jaw-closing muscles but not in jaw-opening muscles.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009470:Muscle Spindles / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D012023:Reflex, Monosynaptic
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local