H-Reflex Waveform and Latency Variability in Rats

H-Reflex Waveform and Latency Variability in Rats. MATTSSON,J. L., ALBEE, R. R., AND BRANDT, L. M. (1984). Fundam. Appl.Toxicol. 4, 944–948. The right tibial nerve of each of11 anesthetized male Fischer 344 rats was electrically stimulatedat the ankle, and H-reflexes were recorded simultaneously fromfour locations in the hind foot. Needle electrodes were usedfor stimulating and recording. The mean (±SD) latencyto the dominant peak of the H reflex was 10.21 ± 0.75msec. Individual rats had a 10% difference in latency from the"fastest" to the "slowest" locations in the foot, although anyof the four locations could produce the fastest (shortest latency)response. The H reflexes varied from simple, single peak waveformsto complex multiple peak waveforms. The dominant peak polaritywas unpredictably either positive or negative. These variationsin complexity and latency occurred among rats and among thefour locations within an individual rat. The dominant peak wasidentified in complex waveforms by adjusting the stimulatingintensity and by recording from more than one location in thefoot. The smallest coefficient of variation (5.57%) resultedfrom selecting data from the fastest electrode locations.