Functionality of the contralateral biceps femoris reflex response during human walking

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  • Andrew James Thomas Stevenson
  • Svend Sparre Geertsen
  • Thomas Sinkjaer
  • Nielsen, Jens Bo
  • Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting
In this study we examined the functionality of the contralateral biceps femoris (cBF) reflex response following ipsilateral knee extension joint rotations during the late stance phase of the gait cycle [1]. Stevenson et al. [1] proposed that the cBF reflex acts to slow the forward progression of the body in order to maintain dynamic equilibrium during walking. Therefore, we hypothesized that if we suddenly slowed the treadmill participants were walking on, the cBF reflex would be inhibited because the necessity to break the forward progression of the body would be decreased. Conversely, if we suddenly sped up the treadmill, the breaking requirement would be greater and the cBF reflex would be larger. We found this to be the case when the treadmill velocity was suddenly changed either 100 ms or 50 ms prior to the onset of the ipsilateral knee perturbations. The cBF reflex was unchanged when the treadmill velocity was altered concurrently or 50 ms after knee perturbation onset. These results, together with the finding that the cBF reflex response is under some cortical control [1], strongly suggest a functional role for the cBF reflex during walking that is adaptable to the environmental situation.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationReplace, Repair, Restore, Relieve - Bridging Clinical and Engineering Solutions in Neurorehabilitation : Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation (ICNR2014), Aalborg, 24-26 June, 2014
EditorsWinnie Jensen, Ole Kæseler Andersen, Metin Akay
Number of pages9
Place of PublicationHeidelberg
PublisherSpringer VS
Publication date2014
Pages765-773
ISBN (Print)978-3-319-08071-0
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-08072-7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
EventReplace, Repair, Restore, Relieve – Bridging Clinical and Engineering Solutions in Neurorehabilitation Biosystems & Biorobotics: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on NeuroRehabilitation - , Denmark
Duration: 24 Jun 2014 → …
Conference number: 2

Conference

ConferenceReplace, Repair, Restore, Relieve – Bridging Clinical and Engineering Solutions in Neurorehabilitation Biosystems & Biorobotics
Nummer2
LandDenmark
Periode24/06/2014 → …
SeriesBiosystems and Biorobotics
Volume7
ISSN2195-3562

ID: 130293058