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Fast and Slow Muscles in Mammals

Abstract

THE histology and physiology of both fast and slow types of cat striated muscle were studied in detail by Denny-Brown1. He reported that the histological appearance did not distinguish definitely between the functionally fast and functionally slow type of muscle fibre. From his physiological investigations he concluded that the typically fast muscles (for example, gastrocnemius) were specialized for phasic contractions, whereas the typically slow muscles (for example, soleus) were utilized for tonic contractions. He suggested that a comparable arrangement of fast gastrocnemius and slow soleus might be found in many animals, including man.

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References

  1. Denny-Brown, D., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, 104, 371 (1929).

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  2. Eccles, J. A., Eccles, R. M., and Lundberg, A., Nature, 179, 866 (1957). Buller, A. J., Eccles, J. C., and Eccles, R. M., J. Physiol., 143, 23P (1958).

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BULLER, A., DORNHORST, A., EDWARDS, R. et al. Fast and Slow Muscles in Mammals. Nature 183, 1516–1517 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1831516a0

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