Muscle state: reaction and movement time in elbow extension.

Eleven subjects reacted to a randomly timed auditory stimulus by extending their right elbows as rapidly as possible under agonist muscle normal state, pretensed and relaxed conditions. Integrated electromyography (emg) was used to validate and quantify muscle state. Total reaction time was divided into premotor reaction time and motor reaction time components, and elbow movement time was measured under all conditions. Significant differences were observed in the integrated emg between the pretensed and relaxed experimental conditions. Differences were observed in total reaction time and premotor time, but not in motor reaction time or movement time.