A unique tension response can he obtained by stimulating an isometrically held skeletal muscle or a single muscle fiber by a train of high-frequency pulses (2,000 pps) at higher-than-normal intensity, or by a long DC pulse. It is called the tetanoid response, and it is composed of three well-defined stages. Initially, tension develops rapidly, and mechanical output (P,,) reaches about 0.35. Subsequently, this tension is maintained at a nearly steady level for the remainder of stimulation. After stimulation, a final increase of tension takes place.
Intracellular electrical recordings show that the initial development of tension is elicited by two or three action potentials generated at the beginning of the stimulation, and that no additional action potentials are generated for the remainder of stimulation. During stimulation, part of the fiber membrane (regarded in cross-section) is depolarized, which generates tension, and part of the membrane is hyperpolarized. With termination of stimulation, a single action potential is elicited via anode-break excitation (ABE) on the hyperpolarized portion of the membrane, which gives rise to the final increase of tension.