Print Email Facebook Twitter Modeling and simulation of intrafusal muscle fiber using a multi-sarcomeric model Title Modeling and simulation of intrafusal muscle fiber using a multi-sarcomeric model Author Oborin, N. Contributor De Vlugt, E. (mentor) Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Department Biomechanical Engineering Programme Biomedical Engineering Date 2016-06-23 Abstract Muscle spindle is an organ of proprioception that plays an important role in neuro-muscular control of the human joints. It is composed of intrafusal fibers, the mechanical properties of which determine the afferent response of the spindle. Intrafusal fibers are not homogenous: they are composed of many sarcomeres, have localized fusimotor innervation and have varying myosin composition throughout their length. Most models of intrafusal fibers do not take these structural considerations into account and model it as a single sarcomere, that way omitting potential emergent behavior that arises from a population of sarcomeres. The effects of sarcomere length inhomogeneity on the behavior of intrafusal fiber is not known. In this study a multi-sarcomeric model is developed and simulated with a varying activation shape along the intrafusal fiber to see whether an emergent behavior in present and how it manifests. Results show that relative activation of contracting sarcomeres has the largest effect. The fiber model with varied activation showed history dependence arising from non-homogenous initial sarcomere length distribution. The model also demonstrated amplitude-dependent behavior under multisine stretches that did not appear in a non-multi-sarcomeric model. In conclusion, it can be stated that multi-sarcomeric models can be beneficial in exploratory studies as they can demonstrate behavior that cannot be described with simplistic models. Subject modellingsimulationmuscleintrafusal fibersmulti-sarcomeric To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bf1b4f72-ce54-4f1e-b097-b269add01738 Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights (c) 2016 Oborin, N. Files PDF ThesisNSOborin.pdf 1.59 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:bf1b4f72-ce54-4f1e-b097-b269add01738/datastream/OBJ/view