Activation properties of trigeminal motoneurons in participants with and without bruxism

Firing rate trajectories of human occipitofrontalis motor units in response to triangular voluntary contraction intensity

During voluntary contractions, limb muscle motor unit (MU) firing rates accelerate over a small force range and saturate in response to increasing contraction intensity. In comparison, facial muscles are cranially innervated, and some function without crossing joints. Therefore, the MU firing rate behaviour and characteristics of saturation were explored in a facial muscle that moves skin and facia during voluntary contractions. We evaluated the firing rate trajectory in response to triangular voluntary contraction ramps in the occipitofrontalis muscle of 11 adult participants. Intramuscular electromyography of the frontalis aspect was used to record single MU trains followed up to maximal voluntary contraction intensities. Firing rates were measured from each MU sample, with the firing rate trajectory fit as both exponential (i.e., saturation) and linear models that were compared statistically. The rate coding behaviour of frontalis MUs was broad, as the peak firing rate (mean 76 Hz) was ninefold greater than the firing rate at recruitment threshold (mean 8 Hz). Across 20 MU samples, only 40% (8 MU samples) were determined to have a firing rate trajectory that saturated and had slow acceleration in response to increasing voluntary drive until maximum. The exponential curve of the firing rate trajectory had ~ tenfold lower acceleration as compared to prior reports in limb muscles. These results across all MU samples indicated that voluntary control of the frontalis muscle requires relatively slower accelerating or linear MU firing rate trajectories, suggesting that movements of facial muscles may be directly representative of extrinsic synaptic inputs.

Enhancing KCC2 activity decreases hyperreflexia and spasticity after chronic spinal cord injury

After spinal cord injury (SCI), the majority of individuals develop spasticity, a debilitating condition involving involuntary movements, co-contraction of antagonistic muscles, and hyperreflexia. By acting on GABAergic and Ca2+-dependent signaling, current anti-spastic medications lead to serious side effects, including a drastic decrease in motoneuronal excitability which impairs motor function and rehabilitation efforts. Exercise, in contrast, decreases spastic symptoms without decreasing motoneuron excitability. These functional improvements coincide with an increase in expression of the chloride co-transporter KCC2 in lumbar motoneurons. Thus, we hypothesized that spastic symptoms can be alleviated directly through restoration of chloride homeostasis and endogenous inhibition by increasing KCC2 activity. Here, we used the recently developed KCC2 enhancer, CLP257, to evaluate the effects of acutely increasing KCC2 extrusion capability on spastic symptoms after chronic SCI. Sprague Dawley rats received a spinal cord transection at T12 and were either bike-trained or remained sedentary for 5 weeks. Increasing KCC2 activity in the lumbar enlargement improved the rate-dependent depression of the H-reflex and reduced both phasic and tonic EMG responses to muscle stretch in sedentary animals after chronic SCI. Furthermore, the improvements due to this pharmacological treatment mirror those of exercise. Together, our results suggest that pharmacologically increasing KCC2 activity is a promising approach to decrease spastic symptoms in individuals with SCI. By acting to directly restore endogenous inhibition, this strategy has potential to avoid severe side effects and improve the quality of life of affected individuals.

Post-activation depression of primary afferents reevaluated in humans

Amplitude variation of Hoffmann Reflex (H-reflex) was used as a tool to investigate many neuronal networks. However, H-reflex itself is a subject to intrinsic changes including post-activation depression (P-AD). We aimed to investigate P-AD and its implication on motor control in humans. Upon tibial nerve stimulation in 23 healthy participants, peak-to-peak amplitude change of H-reflex was investigated using surface electromyography (SEMG) of soleus muscle. Variety of stimulus intensities, interstimulus intervals (ISIs), voluntary contraction levels/types and force recording were used to investigate the nature of P-AD. We have shown that P-AD was significantly stronger in the shorter ISIs. The only exception was the ISI of 200 msecs which had a weaker P-AD than some of the longer ISIs. Sudden muscle relaxation, on the other hand, further increased the effectiveness of the ongoing P-AD. Moreover, P-AD displayed its full effect with the first stimulus when there was no muscle contraction and was efficient to reduce the muscle force output by about 30%. These findings provide insight about the variations and mechanism of P-AD and could lead to improvements in diagnostic tools in neurological diseases.

Co-contraction behaviour of masticatory and neck muscles during tooth grinding

The objective of this study was to analyse the co-contraction behaviour of jaw and neck muscles during force-controlled experimental grinding in the supine position. Twelve symptom-free subjects were enrolled in the experimental study. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of semispinalis capitis, splenius capitis and levator scapulae muscles was recorded bilaterally with intramuscular fine-wire electrodes, whereas that of sternocleidomastoideus, infrahyoidal, suprahyoidal, masseter and anterior temporalis muscles were registered with surface electrodes. EMG and force measurements were performed during tasks simulating tooth grinding on custom-made intraoral metal splints. The mean EMG activity normalised by maximum voluntary contraction (% MVC) of each of the neck muscles studied during grinding was analysed and compared with previous data from jaw clenching at identical force (100 N) and (supine) position. The occurrence of low-level, long-lasting tonic activation (LLTA) of motor units was also documented. The mean three-dimensional force vector of the grinding forces was 106 ± 74 N. In the frontal plane, the incline to the midsagittal plane ranged between 10° and 15°. In the midsagittal plane, the incline to the frontal plane was negligibly small. Posterior neck muscle activity during grinding ranged between 4.5% and 12% MVC and during clenching with 100 N between 1.8% and 9.9% MVC. Masticatory muscle activity during grinding ranged between 17% and 21% MVC for contralateral masseter and ipsilateral temporalis and between 4% and 6.5% for ipsilateral masseter and contralateral temporalis. LLTA had an average duration of 195 ± 10 seconds. The findings from this study do not support pathophysiological muscle chain theories postulating simple biomechanical coupling of neck and jaw muscles. Co-contractions of neck and masticatory muscles may instead occur as a result of complex neurophysiological interactions.

Contribution from motor unit firing adaptations and muscle coactivation during fatigue

The control of motor unit firing behavior during fatigue is still debated in the literature. Most studies agree that the central nervous system increases the excitation to the motoneuron pool to compensate for decreased force contributions of individual motor units and sustain muscle force output during fatigue. However, some studies claim that motor units may decrease their firing rates despite increased excitation, contradicting the direct relationship between firing rates and excitation that governs the voluntary control of motor units. To investigate whether the control of motor units in fact changes with fatigue, we measured motor unit firing behavior during repeated contractions of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle while concurrently monitoring the activation of surrounding muscles, including the flexor carpi radialis, extensor carpi radialis, and pronator teres. Across all subjects, we observed an overall increase in FDI activation and motor unit firing rates by the end of the fatigue task. However, in some subjects we observed increases in FDI activation and motor unit firing rates only during the initial phase of the fatigue task, followed by subsequent decreases during the late phase of the fatigue task while the coactivation of surrounding muscles increased. These findings indicate that the strategy for sustaining force output may occasionally change, leading to increases in the relative activation of surrounding muscles while the excitation to the fatiguing muscle decreases. Importantly, irrespective of changes in the strategy for sustaining force output, the control properties regulating motor unit firing behavior remain unchanged during fatigue. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This work addresses sources of debate surrounding the manner in which motor unit firing behavior is controlled during fatigue. We found that decreases in the motor unit firing rates of the fatiguing muscle may occasionally be observed when the contribution of coactive muscles increases. Despite changes in the strategy employed to sustain the force output, the underlying control properties regulating motor unit firing behavior remain unchanged during muscle fatigue.

Motor Neurons

Motor neurons translate synaptic input from widely distributed premotor networks into patterns of action potentials that orchestrate motor unit force and motor behavior. Intercalated between the CNS and muscles, motor neurons add to and adjust the final motor command. The identity and functional properties of this facility in the path from synaptic sites to the motor axon is reviewed with emphasis on voltage sensitive ion channels and regulatory metabotropic transmitter pathways. The catalog of the intrinsic response properties, their underlying mechanisms, and regulation obtained from motoneurons in in vitro preparations is far from complete. Nevertheless, a foundation has been provided for pursuing functional significance of intrinsic response properties in motoneurons in vivo during motor behavior at levels from molecules to systems. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:463-484, 2017.

Jaw tremor as a physiological biomarker of bruxism

OBJECTIVE

To determine if sleep bruxism is associated with abnormal physiological tremor of the jaw during a visually-guided bite force control task.

METHODS

Healthy participants and patients with sleep bruxism were given visual feedback of their bite force and asked to trace triangular target trajectories (duration=20s, peak force <35% maximum voluntary force). Bite force control was quantified in terms of the power spectra of force fluctuations, masseter EMG activity, and force-to-EMG coherence.

RESULTS

Patients had greater jaw force tremor at ∼8 Hz relative to controls, along with increased masseter EMG activity and force-to-EMG coherence in the same frequency range. Patients also showed lower force-to-EMG coherence at low frequencies (<3 Hz), but greater coherence at high frequencies (20-40 Hz). Finally, patients had greater 6-10 Hz force tremor during periods of descending vs. ascending force, while controls showed no difference in tremor with respect to force dynamics.

CONCLUSION

Patients with bruxism have abnormal jaw tremor when engaged in a visually-guided bite force task.

SIGNIFICANCE

Measurement of jaw tremor may aid in the detection/evaluation of bruxism. In light of previous literature, our results also suggest that bruxism is marked by abnormal or mishandled peripheral feedback from the teeth.