Selective motor unit recruitment via intrafascicular multielectrode stimulation

Recruitment of force via independent asynchronous firing of large numbers of motor units produces the grace and endurance of physiological motion. We have investigated the possibility of reproducing this physiological recruitment strategy by determining the selectivity of access to large numbers of independent motor units through intrafascicular multielectrode stimulation (IFMS) of the peripheral nerve. A Utah Slanted Electrode Array containing 100, 0.5-1.5 mm-long penetrating electrodes was inserted into the sciatic nerve of a cat, and forces generated by the 3 heads of triceps surea in response to electrical stimulation of the nerve were monitored via force transducers attached to their tendons. We found a mean of 17.4 +/- 4.9 (mean +/- SEM) electrodes selectively excited maximal forces in medial gastrocnemius before exciting another muscle. Among electrodes demonstrating selectivity at threshold, a mean of 7.3 +/- 2.7 electrodes were shown to recruit independent populations of motor units innervating medial gastrocnemius (overlap < 20%). Corresponding numbers of electrodes were reported for lateral gastrocnemius and soleus, as well. We used these stimulation data to emulate physiological recruitment strategies, and found that independent motor unit pool recruitment approximates physiological activation more closely than does intensity-based recruitment or frequency-based recruitment.