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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Terminal H-reflex Measurements in Mice
Published on: June 16, 2022
Influence of spinal cord lesion level and severity on H-reflex excitability and recovery curve
Hatice Kumru1,2,3, Sergiu Albu4, Josep Valls-Sole5
1Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, 08916 Badalona and Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
Introduction:
Changes in spinal reflexes can result from alterations in the spinal cord and descending pathways. We studied whether H-reflex excitability and its recovery depend on the level and/or severity of spinal cord injury (SCI).
Methods:
The soleus Hmax and Mmax responses and the H-reflex recovery curve (HRC) at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) ranging from 50 to 1,000 ms were recorded in 38 SCI individuals and 18 healthy subjects.
Results:
Amplitude of Mmax correlated with level and severity of lesion (smaller amplitude correlated with more severe SCI or with more caudal lesion). Hmax/Mmax correlated only with age in the SCI group. HRC was increased significantly in complete SCI at ISIs < 500 ms and in incomplete SCI at ISIs > 200 ms with respect to healthy subjects.
Conclusions:
The changes in spinal reflexes as measured by the H-reflex and its recovery curve after SCI depend on the severity, but not on the level of the lesion.
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