QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by ANAPOL, F. C. Articles by JUNGERS, W. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by ANAPOL, F. C. Articles by JUNGERS, W. L. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Journal of Experimental Biology 130,341-358 (1981)
Published by Company of Biologists 1981

Telemetered Electromyography of the Fast and Slow Extensors of the Leg of the Brown Lemur (Lemur Fulvus)

F. C. ANAPOL ¹ and W. L. JUNGERS ²

¹ Department of Oral Anatomy, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 801 S. Paulina Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
² Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Long Island, NY 11794, USA

Quantitative telemetered electromyography from the four heads of the quadriceps femoris (vastus medialis, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius and vastus lateralis) during normal postures and locomotion (quadrupedal resting, walk/run, gallop and leaping) is presented for the brown lemur, Lemur fulvus. The vastus intermedius is the sole contributor to muscle recruitment during quadrupedal resting postures. It exhibits consistently high levels of electrical activity during all locomotory behaviour. The vastus medialis is recruited least among these muscles during walk/run and tends to be ‘saved’ for galloping and leaping. The rectus femoris and vastus lateralis are recruited at similarly high levels during all phasic activities. The rectus femoris appears to be used eccentrically, storing ‘elastic strain energy’ during all phasic activities. The vastus lateralis combines exceptionally high potential effective force with relatively high potential velocity and resistance to fatigue and probably develops the majority of force in all phasic activities. These results support previously documented structural and histochemical data that imply a functional division of labour among these muscle synergists.

Key words: electromyography, fibre types, Lemur fulvus, muscles, quadriceps femoris

Accepted on February 5, 1987

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Schmitt Insights into the evolution of human bipedalism from experimental studies of humans and other primates J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2003; 206(9): 1437 - 1448. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. B. Gillis and A. A. Biewener Hindlimb muscle function in relation to speed and gait: in vivo patterns of strain and activation in a hip and knee extensor of the rat (Rattus norvegicus) J. Exp. Biol., January 8, 2001; 204(15): 2717 - 2731. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]