The Journal of Neurophysiology Vol. 79 No. 2 February 1998, pp. 848-858
Copyright ©1998 The American Physiological Society

Reflexes From the Superficial Peroneal Nerve During Walking in Stroke Subjects

E. P. Zehr¹, K. Fujita², and R. B. Stein¹

¹ Division of Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2S2, Canada; and ² Department of Computer and Information Science, Iwate University, 4-3-5 Ueda, Morioka, Japan 020

Zehr, E. P., K. Fujita, and R. B. Stein. Reflexes from the superficial peroneal nerve during walking in stroke subjects. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 848-858, 1998. The function of ipsilateral cutaneous reflexes was studied with short trains of stimuli presented pseudorandomly to the superficial peroneal nerve (SP; innervates the top of the foot) during treadmill walking in neurologically intact (NI) subjects and subjects who had had a stroke. Ankle and knee joint angles together with electromyograms (EMG) of tibialis anterior (TA), soleus (SOL), medial gastrocnemius (MG), vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles were recorded. Net reflex EMG and kinematic responses to stimulation were quantified in each of the 16 parts of the step cycle and responses compared between the stroke and NI subjects. Stimulation strongly suppressed extensor muscles throughout stance in the stroke subjects. TA muscle showed a significant suppression during swing phase that was correlated with reduced ankle dorsiflexion in both stroke and NI subjects. BF reflexes were facilitatory during parts of swing and VL reflexes were suppressive throughout stance in the stroke subjects. There was a significant correlation between BF facilitation and knee flexion during swing, which was stronger in NI subjects. We conclude that only part of the stumble correction to foot dorsum electrical stimulation observed in NI subjects is maintained after stroke, and that new, suppressive responses are seen.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. P. Zehr Training-induced adaptive plasticity in human somatosensory reflex pathways J Appl Physiol, December 1, 2006; 101(6): 1783 - 1794. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Rossignol, R. Dubuc, and J.-P. Gossard Dynamic Sensorimotor Interactions in Locomotion Physiol Rev, January 1, 2006; 86(1): 89 - 154. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Schindler-Ivens, D. A. Brown, and J. D. Brooke Direction-Dependent Phasing of Locomotor Muscle Activity Is Altered Post-Stroke J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2004; 92(4): 2207 - 2216. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. P. Zehr and J. Duysens Regulation of Arm and Leg Movement during Human Locomotion Neuroscientist, August 1, 2004; 10(4): 347 - 361. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. B. Nielsen How we Walk: Central Control of Muscle Activity during Human Walking Neuroscientist, June 1, 2003; 9(3): 195 - 204. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. P. Zehr, K. L. Hesketh, and R. Chua Differential Regulation of Cutaneous and H-Reflexes During Leg Cycling in Humans J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2001; 85(3): 1178 - 1184. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. F. Iles, A. Ali, and J. Pardoe Task-related changes of transmission in the pathway of heteronymous spinal recurrent inhibition from soleus to quadriceps motor neurones in man Brain, November 1, 2000; 123(11): 2264 - 2272. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.M.H. van Wezel, B.G.M. van Engelen, F.J.M. Gabreels, A.A.W.M. Gabreels-Festen, and J. Duysens Abeta Fibers Mediate Cutaneous Reflexes During Human Walking J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2000; 83(5): 2980 - 2986. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]