title: Mechanisms underlying spinal motor neuron excitability during the cutaneous silent period in humans.
abstract: The transient suppression of muscle contraction during the cutaneous silent period (CSP) could be produced either through postsynaptic inhibition of motoneurons or through presynaptic inhibition of the excitatory inputs to motoneurons that sustain voluntary contraction. We sought to delineate the mechanisms underlying the CSP in hand muscles by measuring changes in H-reflexes and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) produced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during the CSP in 10 healthy volunteers. H-reflexes and MEPs both measure the excitability of the motoneuron pool and activate similar subpopulations of motoneurons through different pathways. Inhibition of H-reflexes and MEPs of similar size was maximal at the midpoint of the CSP and gradually returned to baseline. The similar time course of recovery suggests that the H-reflex and MEP are affected by inhibition at a common site, most likely postsynaptic inhibition of the motoneurons.
authors.affiliation: Electromyography Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1404, USA.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Manconi
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Floeter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004594:Electrophysiology; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*