Abstract
To evaluate the different excitability of type 1 and type 2 alpha motoneurons, the authors analysed comparatively threshold and amplitude of the H reflex and the Hmax/Mmax ratio in soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of the rabbit. The results show that a clear cut difference exists in the reponse of slow and fast muscles to monosynaptic reflexes. This difference appears directly dependent on the percentage of slow fibers present in muscles; in fact, the H reflex and the Hmax/Mmax ratio were much higher in soleus, which is almost exclusively composed of slow fibers and, therefore, innervated almost entirely by type 1 alpha motoneurons, than in gastrocnemius, in which fast fibers predominate. On the basis of these experiments it is concluded that only type 1 alpha motoneurons respond to stimulation of 1a fibers.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 52-53 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Acta Neurologica |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1977 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology