Effects of dorsal cord stimulation on stretch reflexes.
The effects of dorsal cord stimulation on phasic and tonic stretch reflex activity in extensor muscles were studied in decerebrate cats. The tonic stretch response was depressed in both fore- and hindlimb (stimulation at levels C1 and T8, respectively) and this often persisted for 5-20 min after the end of 1-10 min of dorsal cord stimulation. Depression of the phasic stretch response was only consistently seen in the forelimb during stimulation (C1) and this rarely outlasted the period of stimulation. These results support the idea that dorsal cord stimulation can reduce muscle tone but provide no explanation for the long-lasting effects of chronic, continuous stimulation in spastic man.
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003655:Decerebrate State; D007700:Kinetics; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012026:Reflex, Stretch; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*