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A Mathematical Model Of Muscle Containing Heterogeneous Half-Sarcomeres Exhibits Residual Force Enhancement, Stuart G. Campbell, P. Chris Hatfield, Kenneth S. Campbell

Physiology Faculty Publications

A skeletal muscle fiber that is stimulated to contract and then stretched from L₁ to L₂ produces more force after the initial transient decays than if it is stimulated at L₂. This behavior has been well studied experimentally, and is known as residual force enhancement. The underlying mechanism remains controversial. We hypothesized that residual force enhancement could reflect mechanical interactions between heterogeneous half-sarcomeres. To test this hypothesis, we subjected a computational model of interacting heterogeneous half-sarcomeres to the same activation and stretch protocols that produce residual force enhancement in real preparations. Following a transient period of elevated force associated with …