Differential contributions of ankle plantarflexors during submaximal isometric muscle action: A PET and EMG study

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the relative contributions of superficial and deep ankle plantarflexors during repetitive submaximal isometric contractions using surface electromyography (SEMG) and positron emission tomography (PET). Myoelectric signals were obtained from twelve healthy volunteers (27.3±4.2yrs). A tracer ([ 18 F]-FDG) was injected during the exercise and PET scanning was done immediately afterwards. The examined muscles included soleus (Sol), medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), and flexor hallucis longus (FHL). It was found that isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force, muscle glucose uptake (GU) rate, and SEMG of variou…