Stretch versus shortening contractions subsequently decrease versus increase neural drive to the human tibialis anterior.

Overview

1. Human Movement Science, Faculty of Sport Science Ruhr University Bochum Bochum North Rhine‐Westphalia Germany
2. School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
3. Laboratory for Engineering of the Neuromuscular System Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Politecnico di Torino Turin Italy
4. Department of Statistics Faculty of Science University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand

Abstract

EMG‐based muscle force predictions are often inaccurate following active muscle stretch or shortening because of residual force enhancement (rFE) or depression (rFD), respectively, which can alter the neural drive to a muscle. However, the extent of neural drive modulation attributable to rFE or rFD remains unknown owing to the limited spatial sampling of intramuscular EMG. Therefore, we combined two blind‐source separation approaches with high‐density surface EMG and mixed‐effects modelling to assess changes in neural drive from more representative motor unit samples. Seventeen participants performed dorsiflexion contractions at 20% and 40% of maximum voluntary torque in three conditions: stretch‐hold, shortening‐hold and fixed‐end reference (REF) conditions. The ankle dorsiflexion torques and angles were matched using dynamometry to the REF condition during a steady state following a 1‐s 25° stretch or shortening, during which we decomposed tibialis anterior high‐density EMG recordings. Normalised EMG amplitudes were ∼2% lower following stretch and 1% and 3% higher following shortening relative to REF at 20% and 40% of maximum voluntary torque (P ≤ 0.008), respectively. Discharge rates from 19 matched motor units per person on average obtained via DEMUSE and MUedit were similar (P = 0.666). Following stretch and shortening, discharge rates were ∼1 Hz lower (P ≤ 0.029) and 0 (P = 0.459) to 1 Hz higher (P < 0.001) relative to REF, respectively. More unique motor units were also detected following shortening. These findings indicate that to account for rFE or rFD, neural drive is respectively decreased or increased via reduced or additional motor unit recruitment and discharge rate modulation, with a contraction intensity‐specific rate modulation following active shortening.

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Data

Datasets cited

• zenodo:18922801 — at Zenodo; found in “DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT”

Data availability statement

Datasets generated and analysed during the present study are available in the following Zenodo repository: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18922801.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Version 3, 28 September 2026

• Funding: added Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: 447345165

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, pages, dates, 5 authors, 5 keywords, 60 references, 1 RRID.

Cite

This paper

Raiteri, B. J., Bosse, K. F., Boccardo, M., Vandal, A. C., & Hahn, D. (2026). Stretch versus shortening contractions subsequently decrease versus increase neural drive to the human tibialis anterior. Experimental physiology, 10.1113/EP094110. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep094110

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