Summary
Motor units of the cat peroneus tertius muscle were systematically analyzed using the criteria established by Burke et al. (1973). On the basis of their speed of contraction and resistance to fatigue, 121 (97%) of 125 motor units examined in ten adult cats could be classified as belonging to one of four types: fast-fatiguable (FF), fast-resistant (FR), fast-intermediate (FI), and slow-resistant (S).
Peroneus tertius was found to contain 30% FF motor units, 9% FI units, 39% FR units, and 22% S units. Contraction times of fast motor units (FF, FR, and FI) ranged from 15 to 27 ms and those of S units from 26 to 42 ms. The mean tetanic tensions were 37 g for FF units, 29 g for FI units, 7.5 g for FR units, and 1.1 g for S units.
Fast motor units displayed considerable post-tetanic potentiation of twitch tension. Under similar conditions of stimulation, FF units appeared able to potentiate more and faster than FR units.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Appelberg B, Emonet-Dénand F (1967) Motor units of the first superficial lumbrical muscles of the cat. J Neurophysiol 30: 154–160
Ariano MA, Armstrong RB, Edgerton VR (1973) Hind limb muscle fiber populations of five mammals. J Histochem Cytochem 21: 51–55
Bagust J, Knott S, Lewis DM, Luck JC, Westerman RA (1973) Isometric contractions of motor units in a fast twitch muscle of the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 231: 87–104
Bagust J, Lewis DM, Luck JC (1974) Post-tetanic effects in motor units of fast and slow twitch muscle of the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 237: 115–121
Barker D (1974) The morphology of muscle receptors. In: Hunt CC (ed) Muscle receptors. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York (Handbook of sensory physiology, vol III/2, pp 1–190)
Barker D, Stacey MJ, Adal MN (1970) Fusimotor innervation in the cat. Philos Trans R Soc Lond [Biol] 258: 315–346
Barker D, Emonet-Dénand F, Harker DW, Jami L, Laporte Y (1977) Types of intra- and extrafusal muscle fibre innervated by dynamic skeleto-fusimotor axons in cat peroneus brevis and tenuissimus muscles, as determined by the glycogendepletion method. J Physiol (Lond) 266: 713–726
Bessou P, Emonet-Dénand F, Laporte Y (1963) Relation entre la vitesse de conduction des fibres nerveuses motrices et le temps de contraction de leurs unités motrices. C R Acad Sci Ser D 256: 5625–5627
Bowman WC, Goldberg AA, Raper C (1962) A comparison between the effects of a tetanus and the effects of sympathomimetic amines on fast- and slow-contracting skeletal muscles. Br J Pharmacol Chemother 19: 464–484
Burke RE (1981) Motor units: Anatomy, physiology and functional organization. In: Brooks VB (ed) Handbook of physiology. Sect 1, The nervous system, vol 2, Motor control. American Physiological Society, Bethesda, pp 345–422
Burke RE, Edgerton VR (1975) Motor units properties and selective involvement in movement. In: Wilmore JH, Keogh JF (eds) Exercise and sport science reviews, vol 3. Academic Press, New York, pp 31–81
Burke RE, Levine DN, Tsairis P, Zajac FE (1973) Physiological types and histochemical profiles in motor units of the cat gastrocnemius. J Physiol (Lond) 234: 723–748
Burke RE, Rudomin P, Zajac FE (1976a) The effect of activation history on tension production by individual muscle units. Brain Res 109: 512–529
Burke RE, Rymer WZ, Walsh JV (1976b) Relative strength of synaptic input from short-latency pathways to motor units of defined type in cat medial gastrocnemius. J Neurophysiol 39: 447–458
Dubowitz V, Brooke MH (1973) Muscle biopsy: A modern approach. Saunders, London Philadelphia Toronto
Dum RP, Kennedy TT (1980) Physiological and histochemical characteristics of motor units in cat tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles. J Neurophysiol 43: 1615–1630
Emonet-Dénand F, Laporte Y, Proske U (1971) Contraction of muscle fibers in two adjacent muscles innervated by branches of the same motor axon. J Neurophysiol 34: 132–138
Euler US von, Swank RL (1940) Tension change during tetanus in mammalian and avian muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 1: 203–219
Goslow GE jr, Cameron WE, Stuart DG (1977) The fast twitch motor units of cat ankle flexors. 1. Tripartite classification on basis of fatigability. Brain Res 134: 35–46
Hammarberg C (1974) Histochemical staining patterns of muscle fibres in the gastrocnemius, soleus and anterior tibial muscles of the adult cat as viewed in serial sections stained for lipids and succinic dehydrogenase. Acta Neurol Scand 50: 272–284
Hammarberg C, Kellerth JO (1975) Studies on some twitch and fatigue properties of different motor unit types in the ankle muscles of the cat. Acta Physiol Scand 95: 231–242
Harker DW, Jami L, Laporte Y, Petit J (1977) Fast-conducting skeletofusimotor axons supplying intrafusal chain fibers in the cat peroneus tertius muscle. J Neurophysiol 40: 791–799
Jami L, Petit J (1975) Correlation between axonal conduction velocity and tetanic tension of motor units in four muscles of the cat hind limb. Brain Res 96: 114–118
Jami L, Murthy KSK, Petit J (1980) Proportion of skeletofusimotor axons (β-axons) in the motor supply to the cat peroneus tertius muscle. Neurosci Lett [Suppl] 5: S 225
Jami L, Murthy KSK, Petit J (1982) A quantitative study of skeletofusimotor innervation in the cat peroneus tertius muscle. J Physiol (Lond) 325: 125–144
Kernell D, Ducati A, Sjöholm H (1975) Properties of motor units in the first deep lumbrical muscle of the cat's foot. Brain Res 98: 37–55
Mc Donagh JC, Binder MD, Reinking RM, Stuart DG (1980) Tetrapartite classification of motor units of cat tibialis posterior. J Neurophysiol 44: 696–712
Mc Phedran AM, Wuerker RB, Henneman E (1965) Properties of motor units in a homogeneous red muscle (soleus) of the cat. J Neurophysiol 28: 71–84
Olson CB, Swett CP jr (1966) A functional and histochemical characterization of motor units in a heterogeneous muscle (flexor digitorum longus) of the cat. J Comp Neurol 128: 475–498
Olson CB, Swett CP jr (1971) Effect or prior activity on properties of different types of motor units. J Neurophysiol 34: 1–16
Proske U, Waite PME (1974) Properties of types of motor units in the medial gastrocnemius muscle of the cat. Brain Res 67: 89–101
Proske U, Waite PME (1976) The relation between tension and axonal conduction velocity for motor units in the medial gastrocnemius of the cat. Exp Brain Res 26: 325–328
Stephens JA, Gerlach RR, Reinking RM, Stuart DG (1973) Fatigability of medial gastrocnemius motor units in the cat. In: Stein RB, Pearson KS, Smith RS, Redford JB (eds) Control of posture and locomotion. Plenum Press, New York, pp 179–185
Wuerker RB, Mc Phedran AM, Henneman E (1965) Properties of motor units in a heterogeneous pale muscle (medial gastrocnemius) of the cat. J Neurophysiol 28: 85–99
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported in part by the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Française
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jami, L., Murthy, K.S.K., Petit, J. et al. Distribution of physiological types of motor units in the cat peroneus tertius muscle. Exp Brain Res 48, 177–184 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237213
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237213