Maximal torque during the concentric phase of a movement has been shown to
be enhanced by prior eccentric muscle actions, a movement strategy referred
to as the stretch-shortening cycle. Although the mechanical basis for this
enhancement is well established, the neural component is not. We hypothesi
zed that brief high-frequency bursts of spindle afferent discharge during t
he eccentric phase of the stretch-shortening cycle could be one mechanism f
or facilitating the volitional drive. To test this hypothesis, three sets o
f experiments were done. In the first (N=15), we demonstrated that both the
peak and mean EMG of the soleus (S) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles
were considerably greater during a reciprocal hopping (RHOP) task than for
maximum isometric contractions (MIVCs), In the second experiment, we teste
d whether the dynamic nature of the RHOP or the eccentric phase of the RHOP
contributed to the EMG potentiation. Peak and mean EMG produced with a con
centric hop (CHOP), in which the lengthening phase of the hop was eliminate
d, were compared with that produced with the RHOP and MIVCs conditions (N=7
). The RHOP produced greater peak EMG than either the CHOP or the MIVCs whi
le the mean EMG for both hopping conditions was considerably more than the
MIVCs. In the final experiment, we attempted to mimic the brief high-freque
ncy burst of spindle afferent activity during the lengthening phase of the
stretch-shortening cycle in the absence of muscle length changes. High-freq
uency (100 Hz) afferent stimulation (HFS) was delivered during MIVCs, At re
st, the HFS produced negligible EMG activity but when superimposed over MIV
Cs produced a marked potentiation of the S EMG over values obtained during
MIVCs alone. Evidence that HFS synchronizes the EMG associated with volitio
nal activation is also provided. We conclude that a substantial but brief f
acilitation and possible synchronization of the neural drive is provided by
the spindle afferents during the eccentric phase of the stretch-shortening
cycle. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.