Facilitation of the tonic vibration reflex (TVR) by cutaneous stimulation

Facilitation by cutaneous icing and brushing of the TVR elicited from the quadriceps femoris was studied in 15 normal subjects. Icing and brushing were studied under experimental and placebo conditions. In addition, TVR facilitation by each stimulus was examined during stimulation and 45-60 seconds after stimulation. The results confirmed that the cutaneous stimuli have a localized facilitatory action, with brushing being the stronger stimulus, as proposed by Rood (Goff, 1969). However, this effect was demonstrated only during stimulation and not 45-60 sec after stimulation, in contrast to the model proposed by Rood (1962).