Hiroto Kobayashi; Yuta Takano; Takuma Yuri; Saori Yoshida; Katsuhiko Suzuki; Yoshiro Kiyoshige & Akira Naito

The articularis genus, which lies under the vastus intermedius, has been regarded as part of the quadriceps femoris. However, they are well known to have different function because their respective origins and insertions are mutually distinct. These muscles are considered to work almost simultaneously when the knee is extended. The electromyogram has been used to demonstrate muscle co-contraction. However, the articularis genus is deeper than other muscles. Moreover, it is difficult to analyze it by surface electromyogram. The relative proportions of muscle fiber types and the characteristics of these fiber types are important determinants of the surface electromyogram. Furthermore, biomechanical analysis of AG has remained unclear. This study investigated the ratio of muscle fiber types in these muscles. Muscle samples from seven human cadaveric specimens were used with application of immunofluorescence double staining. Results show that in the vastus intermedius and articularis genus, the percentage of Type I fibers was significantly higher than that of Type II fibers. No significant difference was found in the mean percentages of Type I and Type II fiber types. The percentages of Type I and Type II fibers in articularis genus muscle were correlated positively to the percentage in the vastus intermedius. These results suggest that similar muscle fiber compositions of these muscles might reflect their contraction during the same active phase of knee extension, despite their different functions.

KEY WORDS: Articularis genus; Vastus intermedius; Muscle fiber type; Cadaver; Immunohistochemistry.

KOBAYASHI, H.; TAKANO, Y.; YURI, T.; YOSHIDA, S.; SUZUKI, K.; KIYOSHIGE, Y. & NAITO, A. Morphological analysis of articularis genus and involvement in muscle synchronicity with vastus intermedius. Int. J. Morphol., 36(3):859-863, 2018.