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Evaluation of statokinesigram using 3-D plotting and discriminant function.

The 3-D plot of the statokinesigram, together with X-Y histograms and discriminant function studies are proposed towards a better understanding of the righting reflexes which maintain the erect stable posture in humans. Ninety samples taken from 30 healthy persons were analysed using on-line digital processing system. 3-D plot is an expression of the distribution map of the cumulative frequency of the sway of the center of gravity and helps intuitive recognition of the patterns of the righting reflexes. Parameters representing the distribution map are developed showing as good discriminant ratios as in the analyses of the locus and the area of the statokinesigram.

Adult↗

Low levels of anterior tibial loading enhance knee extensor reflex response characteristics.

We examined whether neuromuscular reflexes were altered with anterior loads applied to the tibio-femoral joint. A ligament testing device was modified by attaching a reflex hammer to a steel mounted frame to illicit a patellar tendon tap, while anterior directed loads displaced the tibia on the femur. Five trials were acquired while anterior-directed loads (20, 50, 100 N; counterbalanced) were applied to the posterior tibia between 20 N pre (20 N(Pre)) and post (20 N(Post)) baseline conditions on two different days. Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded mean quadriceps (Q) and hamstring (H) reflex time (R(Time)=ms) and reflex amplitude (R(Amp)=%MVIC). A load cell on the anterior tibia measured the timing (KE(Time)=ms) and amplitude (KE(Amp)=N) of the knee extension force, and was used to calculate electromechanical delay (EMD=ms) and peak knee extension moment (KE(Mom)=Nm/kg). Data from 19 recreationally active subjects revealed good to excellent response consistency between test days and between baseline conditions for R(Time), R(Amp), KE(Time) and KE(Amp). With anterior tibial loading, R(Time) was faster at 50 N vs. 20 N(Post), and R(Amp) was greater at 20 N(Pre) vs. 20 N(Post) (Q and H) and at 50 N vs. 100 N (Q only). KE(Mom) was greater at 20 N(Pre) and 50 N vs. 20 N(Post), and EMD was shorter at 50 N vs. 20 N, 20 N(Pre) and 20 N(Post). These results suggest that knee extensor reflex responses are enhanced with low (50 N) but not moderate (100 N) anterior loading of the knee.

Adult↗

Cutaneous flexion reflex in human neonates: a quantitative study of threshold and stimulus-response characteristics after single and repeated stimuli.

The cutaneous flexion reflex has been used to study spinal sensory processing in 68 infants (37 female, 31 male) aged between 28 and 42 weeks postconceptional age (PCA). Mechanical and electrical stimuli were singularly and repeatedly applied to the foot, and single-surface EMG responses were recorded from the biceps femoris muscle. A clear correlation was demonstrated between the mechanical stimulus intensity and latency and the amplitude of the reflex. Mechanical threshold normally increased with age, but the flexion-reflex threshold was lowered by local limb-tissue damage in the contralateral limb. The incidence of response to repeated mechanical stimulation at 2.8 x threshold decreased significantly with increasing age. Repeated mechanical stimulation at 2.8 x threshold caused a build-up in the size of the response followed by a diminution. The flexion reflex can, therefore, be used to investigate sensory processing in the neonate, and the effects of tissue damage. The importance of using natural rather than electrical stimulation is highlighted.

Electric Stimulation↗

Reflex activation of extrinsic tongue muscles by jaw closing muscle proprioceptors.

Depression of the mandible in the decerebrate cat induced retraction of the tongue. The mechanism of this jaw-tongue reflex was analyzed by recording electromyographic activity from the temporal and styloglossal muscles as representative masticatory and extrinsic tongue muscles, respectively. Tongue muscle activity was elicited when the mouth was opened beyond 10 degrees while the threshold for the masticatory muscle activities was around 2 degrees. Neither sectioning of the masseteric nerve nor anesthetization of the temporomandibular joint capsule affected the tongue muscle activities. In contrast, exfoliation of the temporal muscle from the temporal bone greatly reduced the effects of jaw depression. When the isolated coronoid process of the mandible was stretched downwards, activities were evoked in the tongue muscle. Repetitive electrical stimulation at a frequency of 100 Hz to the temporal nerve activated the tongue muscle, and the threshold of reflex activation was between 1.3 and 1.7 times threshold of the temporal nerve. Vibratory stimuli applied to the mandible at frequencies below 130 Hz were also effective in evoking tongue muscle activity. However, when the frequency was above 135Hz, tongue muscle activity was not induced although activity was still observed in the masticatory muscles. These results indicate that the jaw-tongue reflex is elicited mainly by proprioceptors in the temporal muscle, and that they may probably be the Golgi tendon organs and the secondary endings rather than the primary endings of the muscle spindle.

Animals↗

Postural control in elderly subjects.

The postural stability of 23 subjects aged 85 years or over was studied with a force platform. The sensory function of the lower limbs was disturbed with small vibrators placed on both calf muscles and/or by placing the subjects on a platform covered with foam plastic. When compared with a group (n = 100) of 50-60-year-old subjects, the elderly subjects had significantly higher sway velocities even during nonperturbed conditions. The perturbation of muscle spindles with vibration and/or pressoreceptor function with foam plastic did not increase the postural instability of the elderly subjects. Visual deprivation had a significant effect on postural stability, and the visual influx contributed about 50% of the postural stability. Postural control is reduced as a result of loss of sensory cues of pressoreceptors and also deterioration in function of stretch reflexes initiated from muscle spindles. The very elderly seem to rely on visual control of posture; this is slow, which can be one reason for susceptibility to falls.

Age Factors↗

Sensory impairment: a feature of chronic venous insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical and microscopic evidence suggests the existence of sensory neuropathy in patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). A clinical evaluation was conducted to determine whether a sensory neuropathy was present and, if so, to determine its extent and distribution. METHODS: The study was performed in a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Twenty-three limbs were studied in 14 male veterans with mild or moderate CVI. The exclusions included diabetes, previous ipsilateral extremity surgery, or other diseases associated with neuropathy. Sensory thresholds in the limbs with CEAP class 2 disease (n = 11) were compared with the thresholds in the limbs with CEAP class 5 disease (n = 12) at nine different sites on the foot, ankle, calf, thigh, and palm. Thenar and hypothenar thresholds were measured as internal controls. Thresholds were determined by a pressure aesthesiometer consisting of 20 graduated filaments that ranged from 1.65 to 6.65 (log(10)mg)(10) of pressure. A complete, sensory motor assessment of the limb was performed by an experienced neurosurgeon who specialized in peripheral nerve evaluation. The clinical variables assessed were deep tendon reflexes, vibration, proprioception, and light touch. Venous reflux was determined with duplex ultrasound scanning and air plethysmography. RESULTS: Sensory thresholds at the most common site of venous ulceration-just proximal to the medial malleolus--were significantly (P <.05) different between mild (class 2) and severe (class 5) CVI. Sensory abnormalities coincided with the extent of trophic changes and did not reflect specific dermatomal or cutaneous nerve distributions. In addition to light touch or pinprick, vibration sense and deep tendon reflexes were also significantly worse in those with severe CVI. CONCLUSION: Sensory neuropathy is a feature of severe CVI, and its distribution is coincident with trophic changes. Because this is often unappreciated by the patient, it probably contributes to the propensity for deterioration from minor trauma.

Arm↗

Decrease in anterior knee laxity by electrical stimulation of normal and reconstructed anterior cruciate ligaments.

We have investigated the changes in anterior laxity of the knee in response to direct electrical stimulation of eight normal and 45 reconstructed anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs). In the latter, the mean time from reconstruction was 26.7 months (24 to 32). The ACL was stimulated electrically using a bipolar electrode probe during arthroscopy. Anterior laxity was examined with the knee flexed at 20 degrees under a force of 134 N applied anteriorly to the tibia using the KT-2000 knee arthrometer before, during and after electrical stimulation. Anterior tibial translation in eight normal and 17 ACL-reconstructed knees was significantly decreased during stimulation, compared with that before stimulation. In 28 knees with reconstruction of the ACL, in 22 of which the grafts were found to have detectable somatosensory evoked potentials during stimulation, anterior tibial translation was not decreased. These findings suggest that the ACL-hamstring reflex arc in normal knees may contribute to the functional stability and that this may not be fully restored after some reconstructions of the ACL.

Adolescent↗

A dorsal light reflex in a squid.

A dorsal light reflex is described in the squid Lolliguncula brevis. When illuminated from the side in visually homogeneous surroundings, a free-swimming squid rolls the dorsal side of its head and trunk 10-20 degrees towards the light. With the trunk restricted in a holder, the squid rolls its head 4-5 degrees towards the light; this reaction increases by about 50% when the statocysts are bilaterally removed and increases further when the neck receptor organ is also destroyed. The results indicate a multi-modal interaction of visual, statocyst and proprioceptive inputs during postural control.

Animals↗

Exercise-induced neuromuscular dysfunction under reflex conditions.

The purpose of this research was to describe further the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on reflex sensitivity. The subjects were eight physically active, but untrained males, between the ages of 18 and 29 years. The effects of eccentric and concentric exercise on patellar tendon reflex responses were determined. The 8 week experiment consisted of two, 5 day, test protocols with a 6 week wash-out period between test protocols. Each 5 day test protocol consisted of the following six test sessions: (1) day 1--baseline, (2) day 2 baseline, (3) day 2--immediate post-exercise, and (4-6) days 3-5: 24, 48, and 72 h post-exercise. On day 2, the subjects made either 100 fatiguing concentric or eccentric isotonic contractions using the right leg at 75% of the corresponding repetition maximum values. During each test session, the electromyogram (EMG) and force-time characteristics of basic and conditioned patellar tendon reflex responses were measured. The reflex amplitudes of basic and conditioned patellar tendon reflex responses were decreased following fatiguing concentric exercise. There were no immediate effects of fatiguing eccentric exercise on the basic and conditioned patellar tendon reflex responses, but the EMG amplitudes of these reflex responses were reduced on the days following eccentric exercise. The amount of conditioned patellar tendon reflex facilitation was decreased following the concentric exercise protocol and at 48 h post-eccentric exercise. Our conditioned reflex data suggest that post-exercise changes to the physiological mechanisms that modulate the recruitment gain of the alpha-motoneuron pool may depend upon the type of fatiguing exercise.

Adolescent↗

Age effects on reflex and postural responses to propriomuscular inputs generated by tendon vibration.

The effects of aging on two sensorimotor levels of propriomuscular function were investigated in a young (20- to 44-year-old) and an elderly (60- to 86-year-old) population by eliciting segmental reflex and postural responses via the same muscle spindle inflow generated by applying the same pattern of tendon vibration. The latency and amplitude of the reflex responses to vibration (tonic vibration reflex) of the biceps and triceps brachii did not depend on the subjects' age. No major age-related changes were observed in the deep reflexes of the lower limbs. The postural responses to the same vibratory stimulation applied to both the soleus or the tibialis anterior muscles (vibration-induced falling) did not show any changes in latency depending on either age or the visual conditions, whereas the intensity of these responses decreased both with age and when the use of vision was possible. Our results suggest that the two levels at which the same propriomuscular messages were processed are differentially affected by aging. The lower reflex level does not undergo any noticeable impairment, whereas the higher postural control level deteriorates in the elderly, which might be partly responsible for the balance problems which tend to occur more frequently with advancing age.

Adult↗

[Analysis of mechanisms of motor disorders in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (from the results of a tonic vibration reflex study].

In 41 patients with lateral amyotrophic sclerosis the tonic vibrational reflex (TVR) was examined. The H-reflex, the M-response, the stretch reflex, and the maximal spontaneous contraction before and during the Achilles tendon vibration were recorded simultaneously. A relationship between the TVR change and the disease form was revealed, and so was the different character of the change of the spinal reflexes in the presence of vibration. Mechanisms of the changes revealed are discussed with reference to the role of the gamma-system and the intraspinal inhibition in the origin of the motor disturbances characteristic of that disease.

Adult↗

Exteroceptive vibration-induced finger flexion reflex in man.

A tonic finger flexion reflex, induced by mechanical vibration (100 Hz) of the fingers, was studied in 20 healthy subjects. The outcome of nerve blocking experiments indicated that the reflex is mainly exteroceptive, distinct from the tonic vibration reflex of muscle spindle origin. Mechanoreceptors with fast conducting nerve fibres in the distal phalanx seem to constitute the major afferent source. We suggest that afferent signals from such receptors by a feedback mechanism can influence the motor performance of the exploring fingers.

Adult↗

[Cervical-ocular reflex in healthy humans].

The vestibulo-oculomotor response, i.e. the cervicoocular reflex (COR), to the stimulation of cervical proprioceptors by torso turns relative to the motionless head was studied in 15 human subjects under the conditions of labyrinthine and ocular differentiation. The COR coefficient of gain and phase shift were measured.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Glottic closure reflex: control mechanisms.

Reflex glottic closure is a dominant and stable reflex produced by stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve. Its precise execution is basic to successful sphincteric protection of the lower airway. In exaggerated form, it produces life-threatening laryngospasm. Clearly, reflex glottic closure and laryngospasm are facilitated by: a) expiratory phase; b) decreased arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2); c) increased arterial partial presure of oxygen (pO2); and d) negative intrathoracic pressure. On the other hand, both reflex glottic closure and laryngospasm are inhibited by; a) inspiratory phase; b) increased arterial pCO2; c) decreased arterial pO2; and d) positive intrathoracic pressure. A clear understanding of laryngeal adductor control is an essential first step in the therapeutic modification of abnormal laryngeal closure and laryngospasm.

Animals↗

An internal model of head kinematics predicts the influence of head orientation on reflexive eye movements.

Our sense of self-motion and self-orientation results from combining information from different sources. We hypothesize that the central nervous system (CNS) uses internal models of the laws of physics to merge cues provided by different sensory systems. Different models that include internal models have been proposed; we focus herein on that referred to as the sensory weighting model. For simplicity, we isolate the portion of the sensory weighting model that estimates head angular velocity: it includes an inverse internal model of head kinematics and an 'idiotropic' vector aligned with the main body axis. Following a post-rotatory tilt in the dark, which is a rapid tilt following a constant-velocity rotation about an earth-vertical axis, the inverse internal model is applied to conflicting vestibular signals. Consequently, the CNS computes an inaccurate estimate of head angular velocity that shifts toward alignment with an estimate of gravity. Since reflexive eye movements known as vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VOR) compensate for this estimate of head angular velocity, the model predicts that the VOR rotation axis shifts toward alignment with this estimate of gravity and that the VOR time constant depends on final head orientation. These predictions are consistent with experimental data.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Cutaneous reflexes during human gait: electromyographic and kinematic responses to electrical stimulation.

The functions of ipsilateral cutaneous reflexes were studied with short trains of stimuli presented pseudorandomly to the superficial peroneal (SP) and tibial nerves during human gait. Electromyograms (EMGs) of tibialis anterior (TA), soleus, lateral and medial gastrocnemius, vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) muscle were recorded, together with ankle and knee joint angles. Net reflex EMG responses were quantified in each of the 16 parts of the step cycle according to a recently developed technique. After SP nerve stimulation, TA muscle showed a significant suppression during swing phase that was highly correlated to ankle plantarflexion. BF and VL muscles were both excited throughout swing and significantly correlated to knee flexion during early swing. Tibial nerve stimulation caused dorsiflexion during late stance, but plantarflexion during late swing. We argue that SP nerve reflexes are indicative of a stumbling corrective response to nonnoxious electrical stimulation in humans. The correlated kinematic responses after tibial nerve stimulation may allow smooth movement of the swing leg so as to prevent tripping during swing and to assist placing and weight acceptance at the beginning of stance.

Adult↗

Bilateral vestibular neurectomy for treatment of vertigo.

The effects of bilateral vestibular neurectomy on equilibrium and vestibular function were clinically evaluated in two patients more than 15 years after surgery. Both patients had bilateral Menière's disease and their vertiginous spells were permanently resolved after the second vestibular neurectomy. Symptoms of disequilibrium were absent in one patient and mild in the other. Reflexive horizontal eye movements on whole body rotation in darkness were absent on low angular accelerations (2 degrees/s2), but could be elicited with angular accelerations of 20 degrees/s2 or higher. Extravestibular cues generating these eye movements seemed to be unlikely because a "control" patient with complete peripheral vestibular ablation after bilateral subtotal petrosectomy did not present reflexive eye movements under the same stimulus paradigms. An incomplete deafferentiation of the vestibular end organ (rather than regeneration of vestibular nerve fibers) and a consecutive impairment of the central velocity storage mechanism may explain the good functional outcome in our bilateral neurectomized patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Task-dependent reflex responses and movement illusions evoked by galvanic vestibular stimulation in standing humans.

1. To identify the vestibular contribution to human standing, responses in leg muscles evoked by galvanic vestibular stimulation were studied. Step impulses of current were applied between the mastoid processes of normal subjects and the effects on the soleus and tibialis anterior electromyograms (EMGs), ankle torque, and body sway were identified by post-stimulus averaging. The responses were measured when subjects stood on a stable platform or on an unstable platform and the effects of eye closure were also assessed. Responses were also recorded during voluntary contraction of the leg muscles and when subjects balanced a load equivalent to their own body in a situation where vestibular postural reflexes would not be useful. 2. At a mean post-stimulus latency of 56 ms, there were reciprocal changes in soleus and tibialis anterior muscle activity followed, at 105 ms, by larger responses of opposite sign. These were termed the short- and middle-latency responses, respectively. Both responses increased with stimulus intensity, but the short-latency response had a higher threshold. The early response had a similar latency to EMG responses evoked by rapid postural perturbations. Both responses were larger when the eyes were closed, but eye closure was associated with increased sway and EMG activity, and the responses were of similar magnitude when scaled to background EMG level. 3. Both short- and middle-latency EMG responses in soleus and tibialis anterior muscles produced small transient postural sways. The transient changes in EMG activity were followed by a larger prolonged sway which was not attributable to the activity in these muscles but rather to reflex or volitional adjustments to movements at other body segments. When subjects were prevented from swaying, the galvanic stimulus produced illusory movements in the opposite direction to the sway evoked when standing, and it is possible that the prolonged sway is a reaction to the illusion of sway. 4. The short- and middle-latency responses were modified during different postural tasks according to the dependence on vestibular reflexes. When the support platform was unstable, the EMG responses to galvanic stimulation were larger. There were no vestibular-evoked responses when seated subjects made voluntary contractions of the leg muscles or when they stood upright with the trunk supported, using the ankles to balance a body-like load.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗