title: Vestibulocollic reflexes in the absence of head postural control.
abstract: Percutaneous electrical vestibular stimulation evokes reflexive responses in appendicular muscles that are suppressed during tasks in which the muscles are not contributing to balance control. In neck muscles, which stabilize the head on the torso and in space, it is unclear whether similar postural task dependence shapes vestibular reflexes. We investigated whether vestibulocollic reflexes are modulated during tasks in which vestibular information is not directly relevant to maintaining the head balanced on the torso. We hypothesized that vestibulocollic reflexes would be 1) evoked when neck muscles are not involved in balancing the head on the torso and 2) invariant across synergistic neck muscle contraction tasks. Muscle activity was recorded bilaterally in sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis muscles during head-free and head-fixed conditions while subjects were exposed to stochastic electrical vestibular stimulation (± 5 mA, 0-75 Hz). Significant vestibular reflex responses (P < 0.05) were observed during head-free and head-fixed trials. Response magnitude and timing were similar between head-free and head-fixed trials for sternocleidomastoid, but splenius capitis magnitudes decreased with the head fixed by ∼ 25% (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, this indicates that vestibulocollic responses are evoked independent of the requirement to maintain postural control of the head on the torso. Response magnitude and timing were similar across focal muscle contractions (i.e., axial rotation/flexion/extension) provided the muscle was active. In contrast, when subjects cocontracted neck muscles, vestibular-evoked responses decreased in sternocleidomastoid by ∼ 30-45% (P < 0.05) compared with focal muscle contractions but remained unchanged in splenius capitis. These results indicate robust vestibulocollic reflex coupling, which we suggest functions through its closed-loop influence on head posture to ensure cervical spine stabilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Patrick A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; MEA Forensic Engineers & Scientists, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Gunter P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Siegmund
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Riender
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Happee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Biomechanical Engineering, Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine (MIRA), University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Alfred C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Schouten
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and jsblouin@mail.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Jean-Sébastien
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Blouin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D058585:Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: isometric contraction; muscle synergy; neck muscle cocontraction; neck postural control; reflex modulation