Muscle twitches during sleep shape the precise muscles of the withdrawal reflex.
Very precise nociceptive skin reflexes that withdraw the skin from a harmful stimulus are formed through an experience-dependent mechanism that develops around two weeks after birth in rodents. Tactile input paves the way for the nociceptive reflex, and nociceptive stimuli are not required for the reflex to be formed. Petersson et al. show that the tactile input produced during muscle twitches occurring during sleep are essential for this process to develop.
Grillner
Sten
S
Department of Neuroscience, Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. sten.grillner@neuro.ki.se
D000818:Animals; D005246:Feedback / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000254:growth & development*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*