Variability of motor unit discharge is a likely contributor to the greater force fluctuations observed in old adults at low muscle forces. We sought to determine whether the variability of motor unit discharge rate underlies the fluctuations in force during steady contractions across a range of forces in young (n = 11) and old (n = 14) adults. The coefficient of variation (CV) for discharge rate and force were measured during a force-matching task as the first dorsal interosseous muscle performed isometric contractions. The recruitment thresholds of the 78 motor units ranged from 0.04% to 34% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force. The CV for discharge rate ranged from 7.6% to 46.2% and was greater (P < 0.05) for old adults (21.5% +/- 7.7%) than young adults (17.3% +/- 8.1%). Although the CV for force was similar for young and old subjects (2.53% +/- 1.6%) across all target forces, it was greater for old adults at the lowest forces. Furthermore, there was a positive relation (r2 = 0.20, P < 0.001) between the CV for force and the CV for discharge rate across the range of recruitment thresholds. This relation was significant for old adults (r2 = 0.30, P < 0.001), but not for young adults (r2 = 0.06, P > 0.05). Thus, the normalized variability (CV) of motor unit discharge was greater in old adults and was related to the amplitude of force fluctuations across a broader range of forces than previously examined. These findings underscore the contribution of variability of motor unit activity to motor output in normal human aging.

Time to failure for sustained isometric contractions of the elbow flexors is briefer when maintaining a constant elbow angle while supporting an inertial load (position task) compared with exerting an equivalent torque against a rigid restraint (force task). Our primary purpose was to determine whether the effects of load type on time to task failure exist when motor unit recruitment cannot be enhanced during a sustained submaximal contraction of an intrinsic hand muscle. A second purpose was to determine whether a greater reserve remains in the muscle after early failure of the position task. Two groups of 10 strength-matched men performed the force and position tasks at either 20% or 60% of maximal force (MVC) with the first dorsal interosseus, followed by a second force task at the same relative intensity. The rate of increase in surface EMG was greater (P = 0.002) and time to failure was briefer (P = 0.005) for the position task (593 +/- 212 s) compared with the force task (983 +/- 328 s) at 20% MVC, whereas there were no task differences in these variables at 60% MVC (P >or= 0.200). Time to failure for the second force tasks did not differ at either contraction intensity (P>or=0.743). These results demonstrate that previously observed effects of load type generalize to a hand muscle, although only for low-intensity contractions. For the position task at low forces, muscle activity increased more rapidly and no additional reserve remained in the muscle at failure compared with the force task. We propose that the briefer time to failure for the position task during sustained, low-intensity contractions is due to earlier recruitment of the motor unit pool.

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The paired motor unit analysis provides in vivo estimates of the magnitude of persistent inward currents (PIC) in human motoneurons by quantifying changes in the firing rate (ΔF) of an earlier recruited (reference) motor unit at the time of recruitment and derecruitment of a later recruited (test) motor unit. This study assessed the variability of ΔF estimates, and quantified the dependence of ΔF on the discharge characteristics of the motor units selected for analysis. ΔF was calculated for 158 pairs of motor units recorded from nine healthy individuals during repeated submaximal contractions of the tibialis anterior muscle. The mean (SD) ΔF was 3.7 (2.5) pps (range −4.2 to 8.9 pps). The median absolute difference in ΔF for the same motor unit pair across trials was 1.8 pps, and the minimal detectable change in ΔF required to exceed measurement error was 4.8 pps. ΔF was positively related to the amount of discharge rate modulation in the reference motor unit (r2=0.335; P<0.001), and inversely related to the rate of increase in discharge rate (r2=0.125; P<0.001). A quadratic function provided the best fit for relations between ΔF and the time between recruitment of the reference and test motor units (r2=0.229, P<0.001), the duration of test motor unit activity (r2=0.110, P<0.001), and the recruitment threshold of the test motor unit (r2=0.237, P<0.001). Physiological and methodological contributions to the variability in ΔF estimates of PIC magnitude are discussed, and selection criteria to reduce these sources of variability are suggested for the paired motor unit analysis.