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Basic patterns of muscle spindle discharge in man

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Muscle Receptors and Movement

Abstract

The method of recording impulses from human nerve fibres (Vallbo and Hagbarth, 1968) has provided new possibilities in gaining insight into mechanisms involved in motor control. In particular, the study of muscle spindle afferents in normal human subjects has contributed significantly to our views on proprioceptive functions. The accuracy and resolution of single unit analysis, combined with the advantages of a preparation which is truly intact and able to follow complex instructions, has clear possibilities for the study of motor functions. A large number of problems have already been explored, which illustrates the power of the method (Vallbo et al., 1979). The recording technique is basically simple, although technically fairly demanding and tedious when the aim is to study well-identified single afferents.

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Vallbo, Å. (1981). Basic patterns of muscle spindle discharge in man. In: Taylor, A., Prochazka, A. (eds) Muscle Receptors and Movement. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06022-1_28

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