Where electrical stimulation is delivered affects how contractions are generated in the tibialis anterior muscle

• Author / Creator

  Okuma, Yoshino

• This thesis describes experiments designed to investigate how motor units in tibialis anterior (TA) were recruited when electrical stimulation was applied over the TA muscle belly versus the common peroneal nerve trunk. The data from the first study (Chapter 2) showed that contractions were generated predominantly by depolarizing motor axons, regardless of stimulation site. The second study (Chapter 3) showed that single pulses of stimulation delivered over the muscle belly recruited motor units from superficial to deep as stimulation amplitude increased, but single pulses delivered over the nerve trunk recruited motor units evenly throughout the muscle, regardless of stimulus amplitude. Contrary to the results of Chapter 3, the final study (Chapter 4) provided preliminary evidence to suggest that repetitive stimulation recruited motor units from superficial to deep, regardless of stimulation site. In general, these findings support the idea that where electrical stimulation is delivered markedly affects how contractions are generated.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Human
  • Motor unit recruitment
  • Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
  • Tibialis anterior muscle

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3DX4D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.