Modelling motor units in 3D: influence on muscle contraction and joint force via a proof of concept simulation.

ABSTRACT: Functional heterogeneity is a skeletal muscle's ability to generate diverse force vectors through localised motor unit (MU) recruitment. Existing 3D macroscopic continuum-mechanical finite element (FE) muscle models neglect MU anatomy and recruit muscle volume simultaneously, making them unsuitable for studying functional heterogeneity. Here, we develop a method to incorporate MU anatomy and information in 3D models. Virtual fibres in the muscle are grouped into MUs via a novel "virtual innervation" technique, which can control the units' size, shape, position, and overlap. The discrete MU anatomy is then mapped to the FE mesh via statistical averaging, resulting in a volumetric MU distribution. Mesh dependency is investigated using a 2D idealised model and revealed that the amount of MU o

SUBMITTER: Saini H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10097764 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature