Facilitation of the H-Reflex in a Simple and Choice Reaction Time Situation

Eichenberger, Audrey; Rüegg, D. G.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-68915-4_11

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…Prior to a voluntary movement, the H‐reflex is facilitated about 100 ms before the onset of the EMG activity in the agonist muscle 25. This facilitation is evident with similar timing during a choice reaction test, where the subject must first select the appropriate movement following a go signal 33, 34. Riedo and Rüegg77 demonstrated that neither the reaction time associated with such a task, nor the premovement increase in soleus H‐reflex excitability were affected when subjects performed similar choice reaction tasks while maintaining a steady background level of EMG activity in the target muscle (Fig.…”

Section: Using the H‐reflex As A Neural Probementioning

confidence: 92%

The H‐reflex as a tool in neurophysiology: Its limitations and uses in understanding nervous system function

2003

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The Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) is extensively used as both a research and clinical tool. The ease with which this reflex can be elicited in several muscles throughout the body makes it an attractive tool. This review discusses some of the important limitations in using the H-reflex. In particular, the inaccurate but widely held assumptions that the H-reflex (1). represents the monosynaptic reflex of the Ia afferent onto homonymous motoneurons, and (2). can be used to measure motoneuronal excitability are addressed. The second part of this review explores the utility of the H-reflex as a neural probe in neurophysiology and motor control research. Applications ranging from the investigation of the functional organization of neural circuitry to the study of adaptive plasticity in spinal structures in health and disease suggest that the H-reflex will continue to be an extensively used tool in motor control neurophysiology.

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