Front Integr Neurosci. 2017 Feb 09;11:2. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2017.00002. eCollection 2017.
Characterization of Involuntary Contractions after Spinal Cord Injury Reveals Associations between Physiological and Self-Reported Measures of Spasticity.
Frontiers in integrative neuroscience
Meagan Mayo, Bradley A DeForest, Mabelin Castellanos, Christine K Thomas
Affiliations
Affiliations
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miami, FL, USA.
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of MiamiMiami, FL, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of MiamiMiami, FL, USA; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of MiamiMiami, FL, USA.
PMID: 28232792
PMCID: PMC5299008 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2017.00002
Abstract
Correlations between physiological, clinical and self-reported assessments of spasticity are often weak. Our aims were to quantify functional, self-reported and physiological indices of spasticity in individuals with thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI; 3 women, 9 men; 19-52 years), and to compare the strength and direction of associations between these measures. The functional measure we introduced involved recording involuntary electromyographic activity during a transfer from wheelchair to bed which is a daily task necessary for function. High soleus (SL) and tibialis anterior (TA) F-wave/M-wave area ratios were the only physiological measures that distinguished injured participants from the uninjured (6 women, 13 men, 19-67 years). Hyporeflexia (decreased SL H/M ratio) was unexpectedly present in older participants after injury. During transfers, the duration and intensity of involuntary electromyographic activity varied across muscles and participants, but coactivity was common. Wide inter-participant variability was seen for self-reported spasm frequency, severity, pain and interference with function, as well as tone (resistance to imposed joint movement). Our recordings of involuntary electromyographic activity during transfers provided evidence of significant associations between physiological and self-reported measures of spasticity. Reduced low frequency H-reflex depression in SL and high F-wave/M-wave area ratios in TA, physiological indicators of reduced inhibition and greater motoneuron excitability, respectively, were associated with long duration SL and biceps femoris (BF) electromyographic activity during transfers. In turn, participants reported high spasm frequency when transfers involved short duration TA EMG, decreased co-activation between SL and TA, as well as between rectus femoris (RF) vs. BF. Thus, the duration of muscle activity and/or the time of agonist-antagonist muscle coactivity may be used by injured individuals to count spasms. Intense electromyographic activity and high tone related closely (possibly from joint stabilization), while intense electromyographic activity in one muscle of an agonist-antagonist pair (especially in TA vs. SL, and RF vs. BF) likely induced joint movement and was associated with severe spasms. These data support the idea that individuals with SCI describe their spasticity by both the duration and intensity of involuntary agonist-antagonist muscle coactivity during everyday tasks.
Keywords: F-wave; H-reflex; muscle co-activation; muscle spasms; tone; wheelchair transfer
References
- Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1993;66(2):116-21 - PubMed
- Spinal Cord. 2005 Feb;43(2):74-84 - PubMed
- J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1974 Dec;37(12):1352-60 - PubMed
- Brain. 2003 Feb;126(Pt 2):495-507 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 Jan;87(1):15-9 - PubMed
- Spinal Cord. 2005 Jan;43(1):14-21 - PubMed
- Paraplegia. 1989 Jun;27(3):222-6 - PubMed
- Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1999 Sep;80(4):373-8 - PubMed
- Brain. 2008 Jun;131(Pt 6):1478-91 - PubMed
- Muscle Nerve. 2004 Feb;29(2):234-42 - PubMed
- J Appl Physiol (1985). 2003 Feb;94(2):567-75 - PubMed
- Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2007 Feb;189(2):171-80 - PubMed
- Muscle Nerve. 2004 May;29(5):615-27 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Mar;88(3):287-94 - PubMed
- Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2005 Jan;20(1):32-40 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1998 Aug;79(8):959-65 - PubMed
- Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2004 Sep;18(3):144-53 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1996 Jul;77(7):713-6 - PubMed
- J Appl Physiol (1985). 2008 Jul;105(1):139-51 - PubMed
- J Appl Physiol (1985). 2010 Mar;108(3):655-61 - PubMed
- eNeuro. 2015 Mar-Apr;2(2):null - PubMed
- Pflugers Arch Gesamte Physiol Menschen Tiere. 1955;260(5):385-415 - PubMed
- Scand J Rehabil Med. 1986;18(4):159-63 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Jan;86(1):52-9 - PubMed
- IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 1992 Apr;39(4):426-31 - PubMed
- J Neurosci. 2000 Sep 1;20(17):6734-40 - PubMed
- Nat Med. 2010 Mar;16(3):302-7 - PubMed
- Exp Brain Res. 2001 Dec;141(4):446-59 - PubMed
- Front Integr Neurosci. 2014 May 12;8:36 - PubMed
- J Appl Physiol (1985). 1997 Jan;82(1):164-71 - PubMed
- Aust J Physiother. 1995;41(3):169-76 - PubMed
- J Neurosci Methods. 2009 Dec 15;185(1):165-77 - PubMed
- J Neurophysiol. 2001 Oct;86(4):1972-82 - PubMed
- Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp. 1950 May;86(5):265-90 - PubMed
- Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1989 Feb;68(1):32-6 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2014 Oct;95(10):1878-1887.e4 - PubMed
- Can J Neurol Sci. 1991 Nov;18(4):443-52 - PubMed
- J Rehabil Res Dev. 2000 Jan-Feb;37(1):41-52 - PubMed
- Muscle Nerve. 2003 Jun;27(6):720-7 - PubMed
- J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2009 Feb;80(2):175-81 - PubMed
- Exp Brain Res. 1993;97(1):173-6 - PubMed
- Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1993 Jun;89(3):177-86 - PubMed
- Exp Brain Res. 2000 Jul;133(2):233-41 - PubMed
- Brain. 1971;94(3):455-70 - PubMed
- Am J Sports Med. 1994 Sep-Oct;22(5):645-50 - PubMed
- Brain. 1994 Oct;117 ( Pt 5):1161-8 - PubMed
- J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1984 Oct;47(10):1102-8 - PubMed
- J Physiol. 2008 Jan 15;586(2):529-44 - PubMed
- Nat Med. 2010 Jun;16(6):694-700 - PubMed
- Spinal Cord. 2016 Sep;54(9):702-8 - PubMed
- Neuroscientist. 2001 Oct;7(5):455-68 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999 Dec;80(12):1548-57 - PubMed
- J Neurophysiol. 2002 May;87(5):2271-8 - PubMed
- J Neurophysiol. 2006 Jul;96(1):165-74 - PubMed
- J Physiol. 2012 Oct 1;590(19):4957-69 - PubMed
- J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2014 Oct;24(5):747-54 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1990 Jul;71(8):566-9 - PubMed
- J Neurophysiol. 1985 May;53(5):1323-44 - PubMed
- Spinal Cord. 2005 Oct;43(10):577-86 - PubMed
- Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2004 May;85(5):840-7 - PubMed
- Am J Phys Med. 1985 Apr;64(2):71-81 - PubMed
Publication Types