Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Reflex Activity

Reflex Activity

A reflex activity is an automatic, involuntary response to specific stimuli. It is a part of our survival mechanism, designed to protect us from potential harm. For example, when a bright light suddenly shines into our eyes, we instinctively close them or look away. This is a simple reflex activity orchestrated by the nervous system without conscious thought or effort.
A reflex exam is a diagnostic procedure performed by a healthcare professional to evaluate the functionality of a patient's...

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

Somatic Spinal Reflexes

Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...

The Micturition Reflex

The Micturition Reflex

Urination, or micturition involves the coordination of the bladder's detrusor muscle and two sphincters to ensure controlled bladder emptying.
The process begins with bladder filling, where the bladder wall stretches as urine accumulates. This stretching activates the urine storage reflex, mediated by the sacral spinal segments and the pontine storage center. Efferent sympathetic impulses stimulate the detrusor muscle to relax and the internal urethral sphincter to contract, facilitating urine...

Motor Unit Stimulation

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...

Design Example: Frog Muscle Response

Design Example: Frog Muscle Response

A student is tasked to work on an intriguing experiment involving an RL (Resistor-Inductor) circuit to study the muscle response of a frog's leg to electrical stimulation. The RL circuit plays a crucial role in this experiment, providing the means to control and measure the electrical impulses that trigger muscle contraction.
When the switch connecting the RL circuit is closed, a brief muscle contraction is observed. This is because, at a steady state, the inductor acts like a short circuit,...

Root-Locus Method

Root-Locus Method

A cruise control system in a car is designed to maintain a specified speed automatically by adjusting the gas pedal. The system continuously measures the vehicle's speed and makes fine adjustments to the pedal to achieve this goal. The root locus method is particularly useful for understanding how the cruise control system's behavior changes under varying conditions, such as when the car goes uphill, downhill, or faces strong wind resistance.
This system can be represented by a block diagram,...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Analysis of candidate genes on chromosome 2 in oral cleft case-parent trios from three populations.

Human genetics·2006

Same author

Toroidal symmetry of the geodesic acoustic mode zonal flow in a tokamak plasma.

Physical review letters·2006

Same author

Comparison of transendocardial and retrograde coronary venous intramyocardial catheter delivery systems in healthy and infarcted pigs.

Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions·2006

Same author

Capsaicin for allergic rhinitis in adults.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2006

Same author

Association between metabolic gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to peripheral nerve damage in workers exposed to n-hexane: a preliminary study.

Biomarkers : biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals·2006

Same author

HIV/AIDS prevalence and behaviour in drug users and pregnant women in Kashgar Prefecture: case report.

Harm reduction journal·2006

Same journal

Corrigendum to "Kinematic effects of two therapeutic interventions for glenohumeral joint instability: A preliminary feasibility trial" [J. Electromyogr. Kinesiol. 88 (2026) 103147].

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

Same journal

Investigating the effects of conservative treatments on the flexion relaxation phenomenon for chronic low back pain: A systematic review.

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

Same journal

Activation of the deep lumbar multifidus during common rehabilitation and resistance exercises.

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

Same journal

Comprehensive RGBD-based shoulder kinematics using markerless anatomical landmarks detection and a 3D-printed acromial cluster during hand-cycling.

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

Same journal

Variational mode decomposition based on refined composite multiscale dispersion entropy and its application in sEMG Denoising.

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

Same journal

Does pain alter the spatial distribution of muscle activity in people experiencing spinal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

The Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS): A Research Tool and an Emerging Therapy for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders

The Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS): A Research Tool and an Emerging Therapy for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders

Published on: August 25, 2022

H-reflex modulation during reverse passive pedalling.

J D Brooke¹, S P Dukelow, K B Adamo

¹Biophysics Interdepartmental Group and School of Human Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.

Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology : Official Journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology

|August 20, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The soleus H reflex gain decreases with leg movement speed. Reversing leg movement direction alters when this reflex inhibition peaks, suggesting sensory input from muscles influences spinal reflex modulation.

More Related Videos

Use of a Foot-Induced Digitally Controlled Resistance Device for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation in Patients with Foot Paresis

Use of a Foot-Induced Digitally Controlled Resistance Device for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation in Patients with Foot Paresis

Published on: July 7, 2023

Terminal H-reflex Measurements in Mice

Terminal H-reflex Measurements in Mice

Published on: June 16, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

The Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS): A Research Tool and an Emerging Therapy for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders

The Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS): A Research Tool and an Emerging Therapy for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders

Published on: August 25, 2022

Use of a Foot-Induced Digitally Controlled Resistance Device for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation in Patients with Foot Paresis

Use of a Foot-Induced Digitally Controlled Resistance Device for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation in Patients with Foot Paresis

Published on: July 7, 2023

Terminal H-reflex Measurements in Mice

Terminal H-reflex Measurements in Mice

Published on: June 16, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Human Physiology
Motor Control

Background:

The soleus H reflex gain is modulated during passive leg movements.
This modulation is velocity-dependent and maximal at the end of leg flexion during forward movement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if H reflex gain modulation changes when passive leg movement direction is reversed.
To determine the effect of reversed movement kinematics on reflex inhibition timing and magnitude.

Main Methods:

Passive leg pedaling movements were performed by four subjects at 10 and 30 rpm.
Soleus H reflexes were elicited via tibial nerve stimulation at eight points in the movement cycle.
M waves were recorded to ensure stimulation stability.

Main Results:

Reflex attenuation was observed during the flexion phase in reversed movements.
Peak reflex inhibition occurred earlier in the reversed movement compared to forward movement.
Movement velocity consistently influenced the degree of reflex inhibition.

Conclusions:

Reversed passive leg movement alters the timing of soleus H reflex peak inhibition.
Differences in peak inhibition timing likely stem from altered somatosensory input due to reversed kinematic profiles.
Spinal gain modulation is significantly influenced by movement-specific somatosensory feedback.