H-reflexes are less depressed following muscle stretch in spastic spinal cord injured patients than in healthy subjects |
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Authors: | J. Nielsen N. Petersen M. Ballegaard F. Biering-Sørensen O. Kiehn |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Medical Physiology, Division of Neurophysiology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark;(2) Centre for Spinal Cord injuries, Rigshospitalet, National University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark |
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Abstract: | The size of the soleus H-reflex was measured after a slow (17 deg/s) passive stretch of ankle plantarflex ors and compared to its control size without muscle stretch in ten neurologically healthy subjects and in six spastic spinal-cord-injured patients. Two seconds after the end of the stretch, the size of the H-reflex was reduced to about 30% of its pre-stretch size in the healthy sub jects. The depression remained for 10–15 s. In the spastic, spinal-cord-injured patients, stretch caused significantly less reduction in the size of the H-reflex. The H-reflex also regained its pre-stretch size much faster than in healthy subjects. We suggest that the smaller depression of the H-reflex observed in spastic patients may be involved in the pathophysiology of spasticity. |
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Keywords: | Spinal cord H-reflexes Ia afferents Motoneurones Human |
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