Summary
In isolated receptors the impulse frequency following “step” stretches had a highly significant correlation with both muscle length and tension; any deviations from linearity were in opposite directions, impulse frequency rising more quickly than linearly with length and more slowly than linearly with tension. The impulse frequency decayed according to a power function of time from application of a step increase in length. A transfer function was derived and used to predict responses to sinusoidal and constant velocity stretches. The experimental data generally agreed with predictions. The deviations that were found could be accounted for by considering quantitatively any non-linearity between frequency and length, the adaptation of the impulse frequency to constant currents, the all-or-none nature of the action potential, and the viscous forces present during dynamic stretch. The approximately linear relationship between impulse frequency and muscle length and muscle tension is discussed. Muscle tension appears to be the more direct causal agent of impulse generation. Possible physical bases for the transfer function are also considered.
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Brown, M.C., Stein, R.B. Quantitative studies on the slowly adapting stretch receptor of the crayfish. Kybernetik 3, 175–185 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290253
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290253