Children with developmental coordination disorder have less variable motor unit firing rate characteristics across contractions compared to typically developing children.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Understanding the nuances of neuromuscular control is crucial in unravelling the complexities of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), which has been associated with differences in skeletal muscle activity, implying that children with DCD employ distinct strategies for muscle control. However, force generation and control are dependent on both recruitment of motor units and their firing rates and these fine details of motor function have yet to be studied in DCD. The purpose of this study was therefore to compare motor unit characteristics in a small muscle of the hand during low level, handgrip contractions in typically developing (TD) children and children with DCD.

Methods

Eighteen children (9 TD vs. 9 DCD) completed a series of manual handgrip contracti

SUBMITTER: Esselaar M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10740205 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature