Authors: Nazarena Mazzaro Michael J Grey Omar Feix do Nascimento Thomas Sinkjær
Publish Date: 2006/04/26
Volume: 173, Issue: 4, Pages: 713-723
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of proprioceptive feedback to the amplitude modulation of the soleus muscle activity during human walking We have previously shown that slowvelocity smallamplitude ankle dorsiflexion enhancements and reductions applied during the stance phase of the step cycle generate respectively increments and decrements on the ongoing soleus activity We have also shown that the increments in soleus activity are at least partially mediated by feedback from group Ia fibres In the present study we further investigated the afferentmediated contribution from muscle group II afferents cutaneous and proprioceptive afferents from the foot and loadsensitive afferents to the soleus EMG Slowvelocity smallamplitude ankle trajectory modifications were combined with the pharmaceutical depression of group II polysynaptic pathways with tizanidine hydrochloride anaesthetic blocking of sensory information from the foot with injections of lidocaine hydrochloride and modulation of load feedback by increasing and decreasing the body load The depression of the group II afferents significantly reduced the soleus response to the ankle trajectory modifications Blocking sensory feedback from the foot did not have an effect on the soleus muscle activity Changes in body load affected the ongoing soleus activity level however it did not affect the amplitude of the soleus EMG responses to the ankle trajectory modifications These results suggest that the feedback from group II afferents and possibly from loadsensitive afferents contribute to the amplitude modulation of the soleus muscle activity during the stance phase of the step cycle However feedback from cutaneous afferents and instrinsic proprioceptive afferents from the foot does not seem to contribute to this muscle activationThe authors thank Dr Jacob Buus Andersen Mr Jan Stavnshøj and Mr Knud Larsen for their technical assistance M D Jens Haase is acknowledged for performing the ankle blocks This study was funded by a grant from the Danish National Research Foundation
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