Motor unit activity and surface electromyogram power spectrum during increasing force of contraction

Abstract

Twelve male subjects were tested to determine the relationship between motor unit (MU) activities and surface electromyogram (EMG) power spectral parameters with contractions increasing linearly from zero to 80% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Intramuscular spike and surface EMG signals recorded simultaneously from biceps brachii were analyzed by means of a computer-aided intramuscular MU spike amplitude-frequency (ISAF) histogram and an EMG frequency power spectral analysis. All measurements were made in triplicate and averaged. Results indicate that there were highly significant increases in surface EMG amplitude (71±31.3 to 505±188 μV,pppp<0.01). These data suggest that surface EMG spectral analysis can provide a sensitive measure of the relative changes in MU activity during increasing force output.