Crossbridge Muscle Model Parameters of Different Fiber Types

Skeletal muscle has a range of contractile properties which are dependent upon the types of myosin isoforms making up the muscle. Specifically, mechanical properties, such as maximal shortening velocity (Vmax), are strongly correlated with myosin heavy chain (MHC) content. Mathematical models of muscle force generation account for these variations by having different sets of parameters. For instance, the Hill model would modify the hyperbolic force-velocity constants across fiber types. However, if muscle model parameters could be set according to the known biophysical measurements from the different MHC types, the model parameters could be determined without empirical curve fitting of mechanical data.