Key result
Natural activation of the cat medial gastrocnemius muscle resulted in a small, non-significant trend toward greater short-range stiffness compared to electrical activation.
Population
8 cats (feline medial gastrocnemius muscle)
Comparison
Natural activation using the crossed-extension… vs Electrical activation
Design
Preclinical
Authors
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Architectural features predominate over activation mode in determining muscle stiffness; leaves open relevance to human cardiac mechanics.
p-value: p=not statistically significant
Motor unit composition or firing rate has little effect on the short-range stiffness of the cat medial gastrocnemius muscle, suggesting architectural features are the primary determinant.
Cui et al. (2007) studied this question. Natural activation (crossed-extension reflex) vs. Electrical activation was evaluated on Short-range stiffness (SRS) (p=not statistically significant). Natural activation of the cat medial gastrocnemius muscle resulted in a small, non-significant trend toward greater short-range stiffness compared to electrical activation.
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