Elsevier

Neurobiology of Aging

Volume 10, Issue 4, July–August 1989, Pages 311-315
Neurobiology of Aging

Contralateral influences on patellar tendon reflexes in young and old adults

https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-4580(89)90041-9Get rights and content

Abstract

In an effort to more fully investigate age-related changes in spinal reflex parameters, we measured force-time characteristics of the patellar tendon reflex in aged subjects and contrasted these with data obtained from college-age individuals. We also conditioned the tendon jerk with a tap to the contralateral tendon. The results showed a marked tendon reflex enhancement in the old group, consisting of greater overall reflex force produced by the quadriceps. In both groups, the contralateral conditioning stimulus produced a short-latency inhibition (at 25 msec) followed by a longer-latency facilitation (beginning at 75 msec). Both the early inhibition and the later reflex enhancement were greater in the aged subjects. We suggest that some age-related change may occur at the spinal level to compensate for decrements in more complex motor functioning.

References (49)

  • J. Wolpaw et al.

    Adaptive plasticity in the spinal stretch reflex

    Brain. Res.

    (1983)
  • M.A. Alnaqeeb et al.

    Connective tissue changes and physical properties of developing and ageing skeletal muscle

    J. Anat.

    (1984)
  • O. Appenzeller et al.

    The effect of age and neurological disease on the ankle jerk

    Arch. Neurol.

    (1966)
  • S.P. Bhatia et al.

    Electrical recording of the ankle jerk in old age

    Gerontol. Clin.

    (1973)
  • B. Bosemark

    Some aspects of the crossed extensor reflex in relation to motoneurons supplying fast and slow contracting muscles

  • B. Bryndum et al.

    The tendon reflexes in old age

    Gerontol. Clin.

    (1964)
  • R.S. Carel et al.

    Age and sex dependency of the Achilles tendon reflex

    Am. J. Med. Sci.

    (1979)
  • P.M. Clarkson

    The relationship of age and level of physical activity with the fractionated components of patellar reflex time

    J. Gerontol.

    (1978)
  • J.E. Desmedt

    Cerebral motor control in man: long loop mechanisms

  • H.A. DeVries et al.

    Changes with age in monosynaptic reflexes elicited by mechanical and electrical stimulation

    Am. J. Phys. Med.

    (1985)
  • J.C. Eccles et al.

    Crossed extensor reflexes and their interaction

    J. Physiol.

    (1929)
  • C. Ghez et al.

    Spinal mechanisms of the functional stretch reflex

    Exp. Brain Res.

    (1978)
  • F. Goubel et al.

    Fiber type transition and stiffness modification of soleus muscle of trained rats

    Pflugers Arch.

    (1987)
  • R. Granit et al.

    Prolonged changes in the discharge of mammalian muscle spindles following tendon taps or muscle twitches

    Acta Physiol. Scand.

    (1959)
  • Cited by (35)

    • Differential effects of stimulus characteristics during knee joint perturbation on hamstring and quadriceps reflex responses

      2011, Human Movement Science
      Citation Excerpt :

      This movement could have elicited afferents from the contralateral side of the body which might have influenced quadriceps activation of the investigated leg. Using patellar tendon taps for the conditioning and the test stimulus, Kamen and Koceja found a short latency inhibition of ipsilateral quadriceps responses at 25 ms and a longer latency facilitation at 75 ms after the contralateral conditioning stimulus (Kamen & Koceja, 1989). Assuming that alteration of contralateral quadriceps length due to pelvis rotation starts with the ipsilateral anterior tibial displacement, the short latency inhibition should have influenced the onset of ipsilateral quadriceps responses during P1, while the longer latency facilitation should have been effective during P3.

    • Aging-related neuromuscular changes characterized by tendon reflex system properties

      2005, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
      Citation Excerpt :

      Clarkson42 did not find any difference in td between young and old, but others reported considerable prolongation in td with aging.6,9 Because the subject’s limb could move freely and the interval from the hammer strike to the onset of limb movement was measured, the td (eg, 83.4ms for the inactive young) reported by Clarkson was far longer than those in 2 other studies6,9 (≈59ms, 55±24.1ms, respectively). Strict isometric conditions were used in the present study to minimize nonreflexive components that may contribute to joint torque and/or latency.

    • Decline in motor functions in aging is related to the loss of NMDA receptors

      2001, Brain Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      The mechanism of muscle stiffness seen in the course of aging is seemingly different. At least two opposite mechanisms, i.e., (1) a decrease in mono- and polysynaptic reflex responses [3,4,17,48,57] and (2) an increase in the muscle resistance to passive movements [57] seem to operate in parallel in the aging human and rat muscles. Our recent study has shown that muscle stiffness in old rats is almost independent of the reflex activity and results from an overgrowth of inflexible connective tissue that replaces active muscle fibers [57].

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text