Architectural and mechanical determinates of motor unit recruitment in mammalian muscle

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Vertebrates use their different muscles for specific movements, and that they select the muscles that are mechanically most appropriate for each task. Motor units are the functional contractile units within each muscle and there are good mechanical reasons to suggest that the different motor units should also be used in a mechanically appropriate manner. We have recently developed the techniques necessary to determine which types of motor unit are active within a muscle during movements and locomotion. These have enabled us to demonstrate, for the first time, that faster motor units can be preferentially used for faster contractions. This finding is a paradigm shift away from traditional explanations of recruitment patterns. However, the evidence suggests that there must be other factors that are important and necessary for determining the recruitment patterns within a muscle but these are poorly understood for locomotor situations.