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The human stretch reflex and the motor cortex.

P B Matthews1

  • 1University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, UK.

Trends in Neurosciences
|March 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
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The long-latency stretch reflex in human hand muscles is primarily a transcortical reflex, not a spinal one. New experiments confirm this pathway, solidifying our understanding of human motor control.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Physiology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • The spinal stretch reflex (e.g., tendon jerk) is considered less significant in humans compared to a delayed 'long-latency' response.
  • This long-latency response is observable in hand muscles during voluntary contraction and subsequent stretching.
  • The transcortical reflex pathway has been the dominant hypothesis for this response, with spinal reflex alternatives largely overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural pathway responsible for the long-latency stretch reflex in human hand muscles.
  • To differentiate between a transcortical reflex and a spinal reflex involving slow afferents.
  • To provide definitive experimental evidence for the mechanism underlying the long-latency response.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Electromyography (EMG) was used to record muscle activity.
  • Experimental protocols were designed to isolate and analyze the long-latency reflex.
  • The study systematically eliminated alternative explanations for the observed reflex response.

    • Main Results:

    • New experimental data have ruled out alternative hypotheses for the long-latency response.
    • The findings strongly support the transcortical pathway as the origin of the delayed reflex.
    • The possibility of a spinal reflex dependent on slow afferents has been eliminated.

    Conclusions:

    • The long-latency stretch reflex in human hand muscles is confirmed to be a transcortical reflex.
    • This finding reinforces the importance of the brain's involvement in rapid motor responses to muscle stretch.
    • The study clarifies the neural circuitry underlying human sensorimotor control.