SPINAL MECHANISMS REGULATING MUSCLE AND LIMB MECHANICS

这个项目的长期目标是了解脊椎反射 调节肌肉机械性能的机制 和相互间的协调。大多数对机械的研究 脊椎反射的作用集中在自生或伸展上， 条件反射。然而，肌肉也接受强大的反射输入。 来自关节和四肢的其他肌肉(异源反射)。 尽管异源反射的突触连接性 已经被广泛研究过了，它们的机械作用 这条道路几乎没有受到关注。 去脑制剂将被用来评估 膝关节自体反射和异源反射的组织 在各种激活状态下的脚踝肌肉结构。 测量两个肌肉之间的异源行为将是 通过将机械输入独立地应用于释放的 肌腱和测量力的反应。一个功能齐全的 适用于建模的反射的定量地图将是 获得。自源和异源输入的规则 整合在脊髓中，受体机制和 异基因通路的药理作用及其作用 刺激棘上结构对脊柱组织的影响 路径也将被研究。来自这些的预测 测量将通过将扰动应用于 完整的去脑动物的带器械的四肢 来自皮肤和关节的肌肉附着和反馈 感受器。 异源反射功能障碍可能是一个重要的 运动障碍的组成部分，如痉挛。知识 关于异源反射组织是需要了解的 这些运动障碍并建议改进诊断 方法：研究方法。

The long-term goals of this project are to understand spinal reflex mechanisms that regulate the mechanical properties of muscle and interjoint coordination. Most studies of the mechanical actions of spinal reflexes have focused on autogenic, or stretch, reflexes. A muscle, however, also receives powerful reflex inputs from other muscles in the joint and limb (Heterogenic reflexes). Although the synaptic connectivity of heterogenic reflexes has been studied extensively, the mechanical actions of these pathways have received little attention. The decerebrate preparation will be used to evaluate the organization of autogenic and heterogenic reflexes of knee and ankle musculature under a variety of states of activation. Measurement of heterogenic actions between two muscles will be achieved by applying mechanical inputs independently to the freed tendons and measuring the force responses. A functional and quantitative map of reflexes appropriate for modellingg will be obtained. The rules by which autogenic and heterogenic inputs are integrated in the spinal cord, receptor mechanisms and pharmacology of heterogenic pathways, and the effect of stimulating supraspinal strutures on the organization of spinal pathways will also be studied. The predictions from these measurements will be tested by applying perturbations to the intact, instrumented limbs of decerebrate animals with intact muscle attachments and feedback from cutaneous and joint receptors. Malfunction of heterogenic reflexes may be an important component of motor disorders such as spasticity. Knowledge about heterogenic reflex organization is needed to understand these motor disorders and to suggest improved diagnostic methods.