Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Electrocortical activity during stretch reflex in athletes

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sport Sciences for Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

To evaluate timing and characteristics of electrocortical activity during stretch reflex evocation of the quadriceps femoris at different body postures.

Methods

Twenty athletes were subjected to reflex hammer percussions on patellar tendon, in a random time sequence, in seated and supine decubitus postures. 745 ms of acquisition were evaluated for data analysis: 200 ms of pre-stimulation, 45 ms relative to the elapsed time from stimulation to the end of the muscular contraction, and 500 ms of post-stimulation. First, a scalp-map analysis, considering channels data, was performed; second, independent component analysis decomposition was applied to all 16 channels. To highlight the differences among two conditions (pre- and post-stimulation) and two sessions (seated and supine decubitus postures), a two-way analysis of variance was used. Time–frequency analysis has been applied to identify the density of the frequencies as a function of the time, instant by instant.

Results

Fast alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands showed a greater electroencephalographic activity after the stimulation. Seated posture showed a greater activation than the decubitus supine posture. Time frequency analysis highlighted an higher electrocortical activation for 160 ms as well as from about 250–300 ms at all frequency bands after the stimulation.

Conclusions

Our findings improve the understanding of the neurophysiological dynamics following the stretch reflex after concussion of the patellar tendon, executed in different postures, considering scalp-map, power spectra, and timing of activation. The use of scalp-map and power spectra analysis techniques represents a sophisticated use of advanced signal processing methodologies to analyze brain activity during movement and in specificity in sport science.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

CNS:

Central nervous system

EEG:

Electroencephalography

EMG:

Electromyography

PNS:

Peripheral nervous system

ROI:

Region of interest

References

  1. Tambolikova H, Sax D (2012) Motoneurone pool and the H-reflex. J Neurol Neurosurg

  2. Staines W, Brooke J, Misiaszek J, McIlroy W (1997) Movement-induced gain modulation of somatosensory potentials and soleus H-reflexes evoked from the leg. II. Correlation with rate of stretch of extensor muscles of the leg. Exp Brain Res 156–164

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lundbye-Jensen J, Nielsen JB (2008) Central nervous adaptations following 1 week of wrist and hand immobilization. J Appl Physiol 139–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Spieser L, Meziane H, Bonnard M (2010) Cortical mechanisms underlying stretch reflex adaptation to intention: a combined EEG-TMS study. NeuroImage 316–325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Vickery HSF, Smith PA (2012) Surface electromyography reveals males have a slower patellar reflex than females. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 990–996

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Perez M, Lundbye-Jensen J, Nielsen J (2007) Task-specific depression of the soleus H-Reflex after co-contraction training of antagonistic ankle muscles. J Neurophysiol 3677–3687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Palmieri RM, Ingersoll CD, Hoffman MA (2004) The Hoffmann reflex: methodologic considerations and applications for use in sports medicine and athletic training research. J Athletic Train 39(3):268–277

    Google Scholar 

  8. Klem GH, LuÈders HO, Jasper HH, Elger C (1999) The ten-twenty electrode system of the International Federation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 52(3):3–6

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hermens H, Freriks B, Disselhorst-Klug C, Rau G (2000) Development of recommendations for SEMG sensors and sensor placement procedures. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 361–374

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Rainoldi A, Melchiorri G, Caruso I (2004) A method for positioning electrodes during surface EMG recordings in lower limb muscles. J Neurosci Methods 37–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Delorme A, Makeig S (2004) EEGLAB: an open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis. J Neurosci Methods 134(1):9–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Rehberg B, Bouillon T, Gruenewald M, Schneider J, Baars J, Urban BW, Kox WJ (2004). Comparison of the concentration-dependent effect of sevoflurane on the spinal H-reflex and the EEG in humans. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 48:569–576

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cugliari G, Ivaldi M (2015) Multivariate statistical analysis in neuroscience. Grin Verlag, München, pp 1–184

    Google Scholar 

  14. Schneider C, Lavoie BA, Capaday C (2000) On the origin of the soleus H-reflex modulation pattern during human walking and its task-dependent differences. J Neurophysiol 83(5):2881–2890

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Brooke J, Peritore G, Staines W, McIlroy W, Nelson A (2000) Upper limb reflexes and somatosensory evoked potentials modulated by movement. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 211–215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Nelson AJ, Brooke JD, McIlroy WE, Bishop DC, Norrie RG (2001) The gain of initial somatosensory evoked potentials alters with practice of an accurate motor task. Brain Res 890(2):272–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jarjees M, Vučković A (2016) The effect of voluntary modulation of the sensory-motor rhythm during different mental tasks on H reflex. Int J Psychophysiol 106:65–76

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Toppi J, Risetti M, Quitadamo LR, Petti M, Bianchi L, Salinari S, Babiloni F, Cincotti F, Mattia D, Astolfi L (2014) Investigating the effects of a sensorimotor rhythm-based BCI training on the cortical activity elicited by mental imagery. J Neural Eng 11:3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Ivaldi M, Cugliari G, Peracchione S, Rainoldi A (2017) Familiarity affects electrocortical power spectra during dance imagery, listening to different music genres: independent component analysis of Alpha and Beta rhythms. Sport Sci Health 13(3):535–548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ivaldi M, Cugliari G, Fiorenti L, Rainoldi A (2018) Delta and alpha rhythms are modulated by the physical movement knowledge in acrobatic gymnastics: an EEG study in visual context. Sport Sci Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-018-0461-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Thompson T, Steffert T, Ros T, Leach J, Gruzelier J (2008) EEG applications for sport and performance. Methods 45(4):279–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Wittenberg E, Thompson J, Nam CS, Franz JR (2017) Neuroimaging of human balance control: a systematic review. Front Hum Neurosci 11:170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Koceja DM, Markus CA, Trimble MH (1995) Postural modulation of the soleus H reflex in young and old subjects. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol Electromyogr Motor Control 97(6):387–393

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SUISM, University School of Hygiene and Motor Sciences, University of Turin, Corso Trento 13, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Marco Ivaldi & Francesca Pretari

  2. Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Cugliari

  3. Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, C.so Dogliotti 14, 10126, Turin, Italy

    Giovanni Cugliari

Authors
  1. Marco Ivaldi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Francesca Pretari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Giovanni Cugliari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

MI contributed to the experimental design, undertook the data collection, interpreted the results, and drafted the manuscript. FP undertook the data collection and analyzed the literature. GC performed the data analysis, conceived the statistical analysis, interpreted the results, and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni Cugliari.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Our study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki principles and conforms to ethical requirements. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin.

Informed consent

All volunteers signed an informed consent form at enrollment.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

11332_2018_471_MOESM1_ESM.png

Statistically significant differences, for all EEG bands and for all channels, in the two conditions, between the pre-trigger and the post-trigger (PNG 5861 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ivaldi, M., Pretari, F. & Cugliari, G. Electrocortical activity during stretch reflex in athletes. Sport Sci Health 14, 625–631 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-018-0471-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-018-0471-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation