Age-related differences in muscle recruitment and reaction-time performance.
Previously, we showed that prolonged reaction-time (RT) in older persons is related to increased antagonist muscle co-activation, occurring already before movement onset. Here, we studied whether a difference in temporal agonist and antagonist muscle activation exists between young and older persons during an RT-test. We studied Mm. Biceps (antagonist muscle) & Triceps (agonist muscle) Brachii activation time by sEMG in 60 young (26 ± 3 years) and 64 older (80 ± 6 years) community-dwelling subjects during a simple point-to-point RT-test (moving a finger using standardized elbow-extension from one pushbutton to another following a visual stimulus). RT was divided in pre-movement-time (PMT, time for stimulus processing) and movement-time (MT, time for motor response completion). Muscle activation time 1) following stimulus onset (PMAT) and 2) before movement onset (MAT) was calculated. PMAT for both muscles was significantly longer for the older subjects compared to the young (258 ± 53 ms versus 224 ± 37 ms, p=0.042 for Biceps and 280 ± 70 ms versus 218 ± 43 ms for Triceps, p<0.01). Longer agonist muscle PMAT was significantly related to worse PMT and RT in young (respectively r=0.76 & r=0.68, p<0.001) and elderly (respectively r=0.42 & r=0.40, p=0.001). In the older subjects we also found that the antagonist muscle activated significantly earlier than the agonist muscle (-22 ± 55 ms, p=0.003). We conclude that in older persons, besides the previously reported increased antagonist muscle co-activation, the muscle firing sequence is also profoundly altered. This is characterized by a delayed muscle activation following stimulus onset, and a significantly earlier recruitment of the antagonist muscle before movement onset.
SOMT, Stichting Opleiding Musculoskeletale Therapie, Softwareweg 5, 3821 BN Amersfoort, The Netherlands; Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Pauline
P
Arnold
Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Stijn
S
Vantieghem
Gerontology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Geriatrics Department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Ellen
E
Gorus
Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Elien
E
Lauwers
Radiology Department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Yves
Y
Fierens
SOMT, Stichting Opleiding Musculoskeletale Therapie, Softwareweg 5, 3821 BN Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Annelies
A
Pool-Goudzwaard
SOMT, Stichting Opleiding Musculoskeletale Therapie, Softwareweg 5, 3821 BN Amersfoort, The Netherlands; Gerontology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Geriatrics Department, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: ivan.bautmans@vub.ac.be.
Ivan
I
Bautmans
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011999:Recruitment, Neurophysiological / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D055815:Young Adult
Aging; Electromyography; Muscle recruitment; Reaction time; Skeletal muscle