Fatigue: Neural and Muscular Mechanisms (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 384)

This volume describes the current state of our knowledge on the neurobiology of muscle fatigue, with consideration also given to selected integrative cardiorespiratory mechanisms. Our charge to the authors of the various chapters was twofold: to provide a systematic review of the topic that could serve as a balanced reference text for practicing health-care professionals, teaching faculty, and pre-and postdoctoral trainees in the biomedi­ cal sciences; and to stimulate further experimental and theoretical work on neurobiology. Key issues are addressed in nine interrelated areas: fatigue of single muscle fibers, fatigue at the neuromuscular junction, fatigue of single motor units, metabolic fatigue studied with nuclear magnetic resonance, fatigue of the segmental motor system, fatigue involving suprasegmental mechanisms, the task dependency of fatigue mechanisms, integrative (largely cardiorespiratory) systems issues, and fatigue of adapted systems (due to aging, under-and overuse, and pathophysiology). The product is a volume that provides compre­ of processes that operate from the forebrain to the contractile proteins. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Looking Back....Pages 1-9 The Scientific Contributions of Brenda Bigland-Ritchie....Pages 11-25 Front Matter....Pages 27-28 Myofibrillar Fatigue versus Failure of Activation....Pages 29-43 Mechanisms of Excitation-Contraction Coupling Relevant to Skeletal Muscle Fatigue....Pages 45-56 The Role of Intracellular Acidosis in Muscle Fatigue....Pages 57-68 Role of Interstitial Potassium....Pages 69-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-82 Fatigue at the Neuromuscular Junction....Pages 83-100 The Role of the Sarcolemma Action Potential in Fatigue....Pages 101-108 Single Fiber Electromyography in Studies of Neuromuscular Function....Pages 109-119 Front Matter....Pages 121-122 Intrinsic Properties of Motoneurons....Pages 123-134 Neuromuscular Frequency-Coding and Fatigue....Pages 135-145 Human Motor Units Studied by Spike-Triggered Averaging and Intraneural Motor Axon Stimulation....Pages 147-160 Human Motor Units Studied by Intramuscular Microstimulation....Pages 161-171 Front Matter....Pages 173-174 Bioenergetics and Muscle Cell Types....Pages 175-184 Metabolic Correlates of Fatigue from Different Types of Exercise in Man....Pages 185-194 Mechanisms of Human Muscle Fatigue....Pages 195-210 Emerging Opportunities with NMR....Pages 211-223 Front Matter....Pages 225-226 Variable-Frequency Stimulation Patterns for the Optimization of Force During Muscle Fatigue....Pages 227-240 Overview: Potential Role of Segmental Motor Circuitry in Muscle Fatigue....Pages 241-258 The Fusimotor System....Pages 259-270 Front Matter....Pages 225-226 Role of Muscle Afferents in the Inhibition of Motoneurons During Fatigue....Pages 271-278 Front Matter....Pages 279-280 Central Fatigue....Pages 281-294 Single-Trial Readiness Potentials and Fatigue....Pages 295-304 The Senses of Effort and Force During Fatiguing Contractions....Pages 305-313 Tryptophan, 5-Hydroxytryptamine and a Possible Explanation for Central Fatigue....Pages 315-320 Front Matter....Pages 321-322 The Significance of Motor Unit Variability in Sustaining Mechanical Output of Muscle....Pages 323-338 Intramuscular Pressures for Monitoring Different Tasks and Muscle Conditions....Pages 339-350 Task-Dependent Nature of Fatigue in Single Motor Units....Pages 351-360 Task-Dependent Factors in Fatigue of Human Voluntary Contractions....Pages 361-380 Front Matter....Pages 381-382 Fatigue and the Design of the Respiratory System....Pages 383-391 An Integrative View of Limitations to Muscular Performance....Pages 393-399 Respiratory Muscle Fatigue....Pages 401-414 Fatigue of Jaw Muscles and Speech Mechanisms....Pages 415-426 Front Matter....Pages 427-428 Fatigue in Adapted Systems....Pages 429-456 Associations Between Muscle Soreness, Damage, and Fatigue....Pages 457-469 Muscle Fatigue in Old Animals....Pages 471-480 Historical Perspective: A Framework for Interpreting Pathobiological Ideas on Human Muscle Fatigue....Pages 481-494 Fatigue Brought on by Malfunction of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems....Pages 495-512 Front Matter....Pages 513-513 Neurobiology of Muscle Fatigue....Pages 515-525 Back Matter....Pages 527-541 'This book is a cornerstone of the newly developing field of neuroresearch ... will be helpful for neuroscientists and biologists interested in studying fatigue, its basis and mechanisms. The book also deserves to be placed in any medical library.' -Doody's