Muscular strength and power are correlated with motor unit action potential amplitudes, but not myosin heavy chain isoforms in sedentary males and females

Abstract

It remains unclear if the sizes of higher-threshold motor units (MU) are associated with muscular strength and power. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine sex-related differences in muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA), percent myosin heavy chain (%MHC) isoform expression, and the MU action potential amplitudes (MUAPAMPS)-recruitment threshold (RT) relationships of the vastus lateralis and isometric peak torque, isokinetic peak torque and mean power at 1.05 rad·s−1 of the leg extensors. Surface electromyographic decomposition techniques were used to quantify MUAPAMPS recorded during isometric muscle actions at 70% of maximal voluntary contractions and regressed against RTs with the slopes calculated. Ultrasound images were used to measure mCSA. Males had greater slopes from the MUAPAMP-RT relationship than the females (P < 0.05). The greater slopes likely reflected larger higher-threshold MUs for the males. The mCSAs and slopes from the relationships were strongly correlated with isometric and isokinetic peak torque and isokinetic mean power (r = 0.78–0.82), however, type I %MHC isoform was only moderately correlated with isometric peak torque (r = −0.54). The results indicated that sex-related differences in muscular strength and power were associated more so with the sizes of the higher-threshold MUs (slopes) and mCSA than MHC isoforms. The amount of cross-bridge activity within muscle fibers that comprise higher-threshold MUs may be the primary contributor to muscular strength and power rather than the contractile properties of the muscle.