Patterns of reflex excitability change after widespread cutaneous stimulation in man

A single-shock stimulus to the skin of widespread and distant parts of the body such as the face, sites in the upper limb, trunk, buttock, and feet produced changes in amplitude of the ankle jerk. A regulated and stabilized system was used for eliciting the ankle jerk and for delivering an unvarying single-shock conditioning stimulus; 35 normal subjects were studied. The characteristics of the recovery curve of the monosynaptic reflex after stimulation at these cutaneous sites are described.