PARTICIPATION OF THE STRETCH REFLEX IN HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL TREMOR
Abstract
Microneurographic studies were made of normal human muscle spindle afferent activity to evaluate the role played by these endings, and by the segmental stretch reflex, in various types of physiological tremor. Primary endings are sufficiently sensitive to respond to the minute tremulous movements normally seen in contracting muscles. Human muscle spindle endings appear to possess the same non-linear sensitivity to small stretches as has been reported for cat muscle spindles. The findings also support the notion that the segmental stretch reflex plays an important role in enhanced physiological tremor, in so far as it tends to synchronize the motor outflow in such a way as to produce rhythmical contractions properly timed to reinforce the mechanical resonant properties of muscle spindle endings, the stretch reflex also serves to damp the larger oscillations of finger or hand which result from a brisk tap or muscle twitch. There is no evidence for alpha-gamma co-activation in these enhanced physiological tremors.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Even under isometric conditions, synchronised motor unit discharges may excite the muscle spindles thereby bringing the stretch reflex into play.
“Even under isometric conditions the synchronised motor unit discharges may excite the muscle spindles thereby bringing the stretch reflex into play.3”
From Differential effects of changes in mechanical limb properties on physiological and pathological tremor (1987) · cites this paper as [3]
Cited by
Sorted by citations
McAuley, J. H., Rothwell, J. C., & Marsden, C. D. (1997) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/pl00005662 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Homberg, V, Hefter, H., Reiners, K., & Freund, H. J. (1987) · Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry · doi:10.1136/jnnp.50.5.568 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Tremor: Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, and Treatment
Elble, R. J. (2009) · Neurologic Clinics · doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2009.04.003 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
A software for recording and analysis of human tremor
Lauk, M., Timmer, J., Lücking, C. H., Honerkamp, J., & Deuschl, G. (1999) · Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine · doi:10.1016/s0169-2607(99)00012-7 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Hömberg, V, Reiners, K., Hefter, H., & Freund, H.-J. (1986) · Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology · doi:10.1016/0013-4694(86)90087-8 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Biomechanical loading as an alternative treatment for tremor: a review of two approaches
Rocon, E., Gallego, J. Á., Belda-Lois, J. M., Benito-León, J., & Pons, J. L. (2012) · Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements · doi:10.5334/tohm.107 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Wharrad, H. J., & Jefferson, D. (2000) · Human Movement Science · doi:10.1016/s0167-9457(00)00017-8 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
- Authors
- HAGBARTH, K.-E., & YOUNG, R. R.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- ORCID
- YOUNG, ROBERT R.
- Venue
- Brain
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1979
- Volume
- 102
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 509-526
- ISSN
- 0006-8950 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2156
- OpenAlex
- W2041136388
- Cited by
- 179
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Brain (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Neurological disorders and treatments
- Keywords
- physiological tremor, stretch reflex, muscle spindle afferents, primary endings, segmental reflexes, motor synchronization, muscle twitch, mechanical resonance
- MeSH terms
- Afferent Pathways, Electromyography, Fatigue, Fingers, Humans, Muscles, Reflex, Tremor, Wrist
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
