INFLUENCE OF LOWER LEG MUSCLE ACTIVITY AND CHANGES IN HUMAN LOWER LIMB JOINT ANGLES ON THE H-REFLEX OF THE TRICEPS SURAE MUSCLE
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728.2748.2025.103.93-98
Keywords:
neuromuscular system, motor control, Нoffmann reflex, robotic-mechatronic device, plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, calf musclesAbstract
Background. The ability to flexibly regulate spinal reflexes under the influence of motor activity and body position has attracted considerable attention from contemporary researchers. It is known that afferent feedback from muscle spindles is modulated during different phases of locomotor tasks in order to facilitate the achievement of movement goals. However, the mechanisms of reflex regulation in motor control remain insufficiently studied.
Methods. The study involved nine healthy participants with no history of neurological disorders (6 men and 3 women, mean age 23.6 ± 4.6 years). H-reflex recordings were obtained from the m. soleus, m. gastrocnemius caput laterale, and m. gastrocnemius caput mediale. A robotic-mechatronic device was used to measure the force generated by the calf muscles during plantar and dorsal flexion of the foot. A repeated-measures ANOVA was performed with two within-subject factors: knee joint angle with three levels (110°, 90°, and 80°) and muscle activity condition with three levels (rest, plantar flexion, and dorsal flexion), using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 (IBM, USA). Pairwise comparisons of means were conducted using post hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction.
Results. It was found that the amplitude of the H-reflex in the m. soleus was significantly higher during knee extension at an angle of 110° compared to flexion at 80°, as well as at 90° compared to 80° in the resting condition (p < 0.05). For the m. gastrocnemius caput laterale, similar differences were observed under plantar flexion effort between 110° and 80°(p < 0.05). In the m. gastrocnemius caput mediale, significant differences were found at rest between 110° and 80°, 110° and 90° (p < 0.01), and between 90° and 80° (p < 0.05); under plantar flexion, differences were also observed between 110° and 80° (p < 0.01) and between 110° and 90° (p < 0.05). These results may be associated with muscle length changes resulting from variations in the ankle joint angle during leg movement. Muscle stretching led to a reduction in H-reflex amplitude, presumably due to presynaptic inhibition of Ia afferent terminals caused by increased input from muscle spindle afferents.
Сonclusions.The observed changes in H-reflex amplitude of the triceps surae muscles under the influence of joint angle and muscle activity contribute to the the field of motor activity physiology regarding voluntary movement regulation.
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