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. 1990 Jul;426:369–380. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1990.sp018143

Cutaneous effects on presynaptic inhibition of flexor Ia afferents in the human forearm.

K Nakashima 1, J C Rothwell 1, B L Day 1, P D Thompson 1, C D Marsden 1
PMCID: PMC1189893  PMID: 2172516

Abstract

1. In six subjects, H reflexes obtained in the flexor muscles in the forearm were inhibited by single motor threshold shocks to the radial nerve in the spiral groove. The first two phases of the inhibitory time course were studied: with intervals between the radial and median nerve shocks of -1 to +1 ms, and +5 to +30 ms. These two phases are thought to be due respectively to disynaptic inhibition between radial Ia afferents and flexor alpha-motoneurones, and to presynaptic inhibition of flexor Ia afferents. 2. Single or short trains (10 ms, 400 Hz) of cutaneous stimuli to the dorsal or palmar aspect of the proximal phalanx of the index finger or to the superficial radial nerve at the wrist, reduced the amount of presynaptic inhibition by 10-20%, but had no effect on the earlier disynaptic inhibition. Single stimuli to either side of the index finger or trains of stimuli to the ventral side, had no effect on the size of control H reflexes elicited alone. 3. Effects of cutaneous nerve shocks on presynaptic inhibition could be seen with stimuli as small as 1.5 x perceptual threshold. 4. Anaesthesia of the hand in one subject reversibly increased the amount of presynaptic inhibition and decreased the amount of disynaptic inhibition. 5. We conclude that, as in the cat, cutaneous input can modulate transmission in presynaptic inhibitory pathways in man.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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