title: Responses of human muscle spindle afferents during isotonic position holding and active movements.
abstract: Discharge characteristics of muscle spindle primary afferents from human finger flexors were investigated during load-bearing isotonic position holding, and intentional shortening or lengthening contractions. During position holding, units mostly showed a negative relationship between muscle length and impulse rate, particularly when the load was small. When the load was increased, Ia-discharge rates increased more in the elongated than in the shortened muscle, and the inverse position response became less pronounced. During active lengthening contractions, a stretch response pattern was sometimes absent or could be abolished by increasing the load.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Technical University of Munich, F.R.G.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Jahnke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Struppler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*