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Reorganization of multi-muscle and joint withdrawal reflex during arm movements in post-stroke hemiparetic patients
- Source :
-
Clinical Neurophysiology . Mar2012, Vol. 123 Issue 3, p527-540. 14p. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the behavior of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) in the upper limb during reaching and grasping movements in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. Methods: Eight patients with chronic stroke and moderate motor deficits were included. An optoelectronic motion analysis system integrated with a surface EMG machine was used to record the kinematic and EMG data. The NWR was evoked through a painful electrical stimulation of the index finger during a movement which consisted of reaching out, picking up a cylinder, and returning it to the starting position. Results: We found that: (i) the NWR is extensively rearranged in hemiparetic patients, who were found to present different kinematic and EMG reflex patterns with respect to controls; (ii) patients partially lose the ability to modulate the reflex in the different movement phases; (iii) the impairment of the reflex modulation occurs at single-muscle, single-joint and multi-joint level. Conclusions: Patients with chronic and mild-moderate post-stroke motor deficits lose the ability to modulate the NWR dynamically according to the movement variables at individual as well as at multi-muscle and joint levels. Significance: The central nervous system is unable to use the NWR substrate dynamically and flexibly in order to select the muscle synergies needed to govern the spatio–temporal interaction among joints. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13882457
- Volume :
- 123
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Clinical Neurophysiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 71336612
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2011.07.031