Do skeletal muscle motor units and microvascular units align to help match blood flow to metabolic demand?
Coral L MurrantNicole M FletcherEamon J H FitzpatrickKinley S GeePublished in: European journal of applied physiology (2021)
Given the architecture of the capillary units and the dispersed nature of muscle fibres within a motor unit, during submaximal contractions, where not all motor units are recruited, there will be a greater perfusion to the muscle than that predicted by the number of active muscle fibres. Such overperfusion brings into question if blood flow and metabolic demand are as tightly matched as previously assumed.