Age-related reductions in the estimated numbers of motor units are minimal in the human soleus

The documented impact of contractile level on decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging motor unit number estimates (MUNEs) in young adults demonstrates the importance of selecting an objective contraction intensity that yields the most representative MUNE for a given muscle. Whether the same contraction intensity would be ideal in an altered system (e.g., by aging or disease) has yet to be examined. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of contraction intensity on MUNEs from the soleus muscle in young (approximate to 27 years) and old (approximate to 75 years) men. Using decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging, surface and intramuscular electromyographic signals were collected from the soleus during a range of submaximal isometric plantar-flexion contractions (threshold, 10%, 20%, and 30% of maximum voluntary contraction; MVC). Five MUNEs were calculated, one for each of the four contraction intensities and an ensemble MUNE was derived from all MUs collected. Although MUNE decreased similarly with increased effort in both groups, MUNEs were not significantly reduced in the old men compared to the young men. Consequently, the ensemble MUNE was extrapolated to an intensity of approximate to 15% MVC in both young and old. The results suggest that, in the soleus, the use of the same contraction intensity across age groups is a valid comparison.