Abstract
In spastic individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), the stretch reflex gain and reflex stiffness are high at rest and do not decrease with muscle activation. The soleus H-reflex is also large during voluntary muscle contraction, and the soleus stretch and H-reflexes are abnormally modulated during walking. Hyperexcitable stretch reflexes are most problematic in mid-late swing through early stance as they can trigger clonus and negatively affect locomotion. These observations of stretch reflex behaviors in SCI do not appear to match what has been found in hemiparetic stroke or cerebral palsy. Different from pharmacologically or surgically disabling a reflex pathway, changing a reflex behavior through neurobehavioral training such as locomotor training and reflex operant conditioning could provide new means to enhance motor function recovery in people with SCI.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Cellular, Molecular, Physiological, and Behavioral Aspects of Spinal Cord Injury |
Editors | Rajkumar Rajendram, Victor Preedy, Colin Martin |
Publisher | Academic Press |
Publication date | Jun 2022 |
Edition | 1 |
Pages | 365-375 |
Chapter | 30 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-0-12-822427-4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2022 |
Keywords
- Muscle spindle afferents
- Spinal reflexes
- Locomotion
- Spasticity
- Load sensitive afferents