Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Obstacle avoidance during human walking: H-reflex modulation during motor learning.

F Hess1, H J A Van Hedel, V Dietz

  • 1Balgrist University Hospital, Spinal Cord Injury Center, Forchstrasse 340, CH-8008, Zürich, Switzerland.

Experimental Brain Research
|May 16, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Interactions between descending and spinal circuits on motor output.

Experimental neurology·2025
Same author

Spatiotemporal activation of lumbar sensorimotor networks.

Experimental neurology·2025
Same author

Coordination of bilateral synchronous and asynchronous hand movements.

Neuroscience letters·2020
Same author

Surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse.

Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society·2018
Same author

Cooperative hand movements in tetraplegic spinal cord injury patients: Preserved neural coupling.

Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·2018
Same author

Automatic gain control of neural coupling during cooperative hand movements.

Scientific reports·2018
Same journal

Effects of tDCS and tACS on operant tactile training: investigating individual differences in neuromodulation efficacy.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Investigating the effects of different exercise protocols on depressive-like behaviors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rodents: a systematic review.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Inward platform translations during treadmill walking enhance lateral weight shift and paretic leg engagement in chronic stroke.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Effects of lumbar disc injury and nociception on trunk motor control during rat locomotion.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Changes in synergy formation and modulation during cyclic finger force production tasks in female adults with dystonic cerebral palsy.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Molecular links between reelin downregulation, topoisomerase IIβ alterations, and proteins involved in Alzheimer pathology in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line.

Experimental brain research·2026
See all related articles

Motor learning, like stepping over obstacles, alters H-reflex amplitudes. Initial increases in reflex activity during learning adapt quickly, suggesting supraspinal control and attention play key roles.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Human Movement Science

Background:

  • The H-reflex is a measure of spinal reflex excitability.
  • Motor learning involves complex changes in neural pathways.
  • Understanding reflex modulation during learning is crucial for rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in soleus H-reflex amplitudes during a motor learning task involving obstacle negotiation.
  • To correlate H-reflex modulation with performance improvements and muscle activity changes.
  • To explore the role of supraspinal influences and attention in reflex adaptation during motor learning.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects with reduced vision performed a treadmill task requiring them to step over an obstacle.
  • Soleus H-reflexes were elicited during early and late stance phases.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Muscle activity, foot clearance, and joint kinematics were recorded.
  • H-reflex parameters (H/M ratio, latency, duration) were analyzed over five runs.

    • Main Results:

    • Performance improvement correlated with decreased muscle activity and foot clearance, and increased joint stability.
    • A significant, transient increase in H-reflex amplitude was observed during the first obstacle run.
    • Subsequent obstacle runs showed no H-reflex modulation.
    • Adaptations were most pronounced during the initial learning phase.

    Conclusions:

    • Motor learning tasks induce adaptational changes in both performance and H-reflex responses.
    • The transient H-reflex modulation suggests supraspinal influences are dominant.
    • Increased attention during the initial learning phase likely contributes to observed reflex changes.