SPINAL MECHANISM OF THE ABDOMINAL AND ERECTOR SPINAE SKIN REFLEXES
SPINAL MECHANISM OF THE ABDOMINAL AND ERECTOR SPINAE SKIN REFLEXES
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DOI:
10.1093/brain/81.3.290
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发表时间:
1958-01-01
期刊:
影响因子:
14.5
通讯作者:
HAGBARTH, KE
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
KUGELBERG, E;HAGBARTH, KE
The abdominal and erector spinae skin reflexes were investigated in 35 subjects with electromyographical technique. Reflexes were elicited by mechanical stimulation of the skin, or by repetitive electrical shock stimulation of the skin, or an intercostal nerve. The conduction velocity in the afferent arc was high as 40 m.p.s. provided the reflex threshold was low. The abdominal skin reflex is a spinal polysynaptic reflex with a minimal central delay (3.55-5.4 msec). The loss of the reflex in pyramidal lesions is not due to an interruption of a hypothetical cerebral arc but to a diminished excitability of the spinal reflex center. In 5 patients with disseminated sclerosis and clinically abolished abdominal skin reflexes shock stimulation of an intercostal nerve still evoked a reflex response similar to the abdominal skin reflex. The trunk skin reflexes following shock stimulation may show a series of rhythmic bursts at a frequency of 20 per sec pften with complete silence of the motor neurons between the discharges. The abdominal skin reflexes show little evidence of any segmental boundaries and irradiate over several segments ipsilaterally. The skin reflexes of the trunk form an elaborate defence mechanism with a specific pattern of contractions and reciprocal inhibitions according to the skin area stimulated. At whichever point on the trunk the stimulus is applied it results in a reflex pattern which tends to induce movement away from the stimulus as well as a contraction of adjacent muscles for protection of underlying tissues. The trunk skin reflexes are generally facilitated by a weak or moderately strong contraction of the muscle activated and inhibited by the contraction of its antagonist. Postural and voluntary contractions may profoundly alter the reflex pattern and may cause a reversal.