title: Short-latency crossed spinal responses are impaired differently in sub-acute and chronic stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Investigate if patients with supraspinal lesions have impaired interlimb spinal reflex pathways. The short-latency crossed spinal response will be investigated during sitting from the non-paretic to paretic and paretic to non-paretic extremities at different stimulation intensities in chronic and sub-acute stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ipsilateral tibial nerve of the paretic and non-paretic extremities were stimulated at motor threshold, 35% M-max and 85% M-max of the ipsilateral soleus while the contralateral soleus was contracted from 5% to 15% of the maximum voluntary contraction of the paretic soleus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic patients (from both extremities) had significantly less prominent inhibitory responses than healthy controls (post hoc tests: P<.01-P<.05). The responses were significantly modulated by stimulus intensity in healthy controls and chronic patients (P<.001-P<.05) but not sub-acute patients (P>.05). Some sub-acute patients had significantly more variable responses than chronic patients and healthy controls (P<.001-P⩽.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-latency interlimb reflexes are impaired differently in sub-acute vs. chronic patients, are impaired from the non-paretic and paretic extremity, and abnormal when compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inappropriate coordination could result in an inability to quickly avoid obstacles following a mechanical disturbance to the ipsilateral extremity. It also indicates that bilateral descending projections affect the response.
authors.affiliation: Hammel Neurorehabilitation Hospital and Research Center, Aarhus University, 15 Voldbyvej, 8450 Hammel, Denmark.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Stubbs
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sinkjær
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mrachacz-Kersting
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000294:innervation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*