The human stretch reflex and the motor cortex.
The spinal stretch reflex, exemplified by the tendon jerk, appears to be less important in humans than a delayed 'long-latency' response. This is easily observed when muscles of the hand are stretched while they are already contracting voluntarily. On limited evidence, many have long held that the delayed response is a transcortical reflex and have tended to neglect alternative possibilities, particularly that it might be a spinal reflex dependent upon slow afferents. New experiments have now eliminated the alternatives, leaving the transcortical hypothesis in command of the field.
Matthews
P B
PB
University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, UK.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012026:Reflex, Stretch / Q000502:physiology*