Motor unit firing variability and synchronization during short-term light-load training in older adults.
We compared motor unit synchronization and firing rate variability within and across synergistic hand muscles during a pinching task following short-term light-load training to improve force steadiness in older adults. A total of 183 motor unit pairs before training and 158 motor unit pairs after training were recorded with intramuscular fine-wire electrodes within and across the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and adductor pollicis (AdP) muscles during a pinch task performed by ten older adults before and after a 4-week short-term light-load training program. Nine younger adults performed the same experimental sessions 4 weeks apart with no training intervention. Two-minute sustained contractions of 2, 4, 8, and 12% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) were performed with the non-dominant hand. The coefficient of variation (CV) of force was greater in older than in younger adults and was lower at the 2 and 4% MVC levels in both the finger (0.12 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01, and 0.08 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01, respectively) and thumb (0.11 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01, and 0.09 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01, respectively) compared to higher force levels following training in the older adults. There were no changes in CIS or k'-1 values following training. Motor unit firing rate variability significantly decreased at low force levels in the FDI muscle and also tended to decrease with training in the AdP muscle (p = 0.06). No changes occurred in the younger control group. These findings are the first to show that motor unit synchronization does not change during light-load training. Thus, it is likely that force steadiness in older adults improves by reducing motor unit firing variability rather than by changing motor unit synchronization.
Griffin
L
L
Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Bellmont 222, 1 University Station, D3700, Austin, TX 78712, USA. l.griffin@mail.utexas.edu
Painter
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PE
Wadhwa
A
A
Spirduso
W W
WW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D055070:Resistance Training; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013933:Thumb / Q000502:physiology