Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reflections on Spinal Reflexes

  • Chapter
Sensorimotor Control of Movement and Posture

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 508))

Abstract

Over the past four decades, the understanding of proprioceptive spinal reflexes has advanced far more rapidly than generally considered. This problem could be largely obviated in undergraduate and graduate training programs if the topic of reflexes was introduced subsequent to the concept and mechanisms of pattern generation within the central nervous system. The key advantage would then be that the neuroscience community as a whole would gain appreciation of the fact that proprioceptive reflexes are not hard-wired but rather are context-and phase-dependent, with the central nervous system selecting input-output pathways appropriate for the task at hand.

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Coghill, G. E., 1929Anatomy And The Problem of BehaviorHafner, New York, pp. 86–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bekoff, A., 1981, Embryonic development of the neural circuitry underlying motor coordination, in:Studies in Developmental Neurobiology—Essays in Honor of Viktor HamburgerW. Maxwell Cowan, ed., Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 134–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. G., and Sherrington, C. S., 1912, The rule of reflex response in the limb reflexes of the mammal and its exceptionsJournal of Physiology44, 125–130.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, C., and Ferguson, G. W., 1977, Variation and evolution of stereotyped behavior in reptiles, in:Biology of the Reptilia, vol. 7, Ecology and BehaviorC. Gans and D. W. Tinkle, eds., Academic Press, New York, pp. 335–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cazalets, J. R., Menard, I., Crémieux, J., and Clarac, F., 1990, Variability as a characteristic of immature motor systems: an electromyographic study of swimming in the newborn ratBehavioural Brain Research40, 215–225.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duysens, J., Clarac, F., and Cruse, H., 2000, Load-regulating mechanisms in gait and posture: comparative aspectsPhysiological Reviews80, 83–133.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. C., and Gibson, W. C., 1979Sherrington — His Life and ThoughtSpringer International, Berlin.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, S. B, and Koehl, M. A. R., 1990, The interaction of behavioral and morphological change in the evolution of a novel locomotor type: “flying” frogsEvolution44, 1931–1946.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatesy, S., and Dial, K.P., 1996, Locomotor modules and the evolution of avian flightEvolution50, 331–340. Grillner, S., 1975, Locomotion in vertebrates: Central mechanisms and reflex interactionPhysiological Reviews55, 247–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grillner, S., 1981, Control of locomotion in bipeds, tetrapods and fish, in:Handbook of Physiology sec. 1 vol. I1 pt. 2. The Nervous System: Motor Control(V. B. Brooks, vol. ed.), J. M. Brookhart and V. B. Mountcastle, eds., American Physiological Society, Bethesda, pp. 1179–1236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grillner, S., Cangiano, L., Hu, G., Thompson, R., Hill, R., and Wallén, P., 2000, The intrinsic function of amotor system--from ion channels to networks and behaviorBrain Research886, 224–236.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gurfinkel, V. S., Levik, Y. S., Kazzenikov, O. V., and Selionov, V. A., 1998, Locomotor-like movements evoked by leg muscle vibration in humansEuropean Journal of Neuroscience10, 1608–1612.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris-Warrick, R. M., and Marder, E., 1991, Modulation of neural networks for behaviorAnnual Reviews of Neuroscience14, 39–57.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hasan, Z., and Stuart, D. G., 1988, Animal solutions to problems of movement control: The role of proprioceptorsAnnual Reviews of Neuroscience 1 1199–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, E. D., and Tosini, G., 2001, The mammalian circadian clock shopSeminars in Cell and Developmental Biology12, 295–303.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hore, J., Phillips, C. G., and Porter, R., 1973, The effects of pyramidotomy on motor performance in the brush-tailed possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)Brain Research49, 181–184.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, A., Noga, B. R., Carr, P. A., Fedirchuk, B., and Jordan, L. M., 2000, Spinal cholinergic neurons activated during locomotion: localization and electrophysiological characterizationJournal of Neurophysiology83, 3537–3547.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrand, J. G., and Shepherd, G. M., 1997, Mechanisms of olfactory discrimination: Common principles across phylaAnnual Reviews of Neuroscience20, 595–631.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hultborn, H.. 2001, State-dependent modulation of sensory feedbackJournal of Physiology533, 5–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • lwaniuk, A. N., Pellis, S. M., and Whishaw, I. Q., 1999, Is digital dexterity really related to corticospinal projections?: A re-analysis of the Heffner and Masterton data set using modern comparative statisticsBehavioural Brain Research101, 173–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jankowska, E., 2001, Spinal interneuronal systems: identification, multifunctional character and reconfigurations in mammalsJournal of Physiology533, 31–40.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jankowska, E., Jukes, M. G. M., Lund, S., and Lundberg, A., 1967, The effect of DOPA on the spinal cord. 5. Reciprocal organization of pathways transmitting excitatory action to alpha motoneurones of flexors and extensorsActa Physiologica Scandinavica70, 369–388.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Llinás, R., 2001I of the Vortex From Neurons to SelfMIT Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinds, R., Hillman, D. E., and Precht, W., 1970, Functional aspects of cerebellar evolution, in:The Cerebellum in Health and Disease W.S. Fields and W. D. Willis, eds., Green, St. Louis, pp.269–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, A., 1969a, Convergence of excitatory and inhibitory action on interneurones in the spinal cord, in:The InterneuronM. A. B. Brazier, ed., University of California Press, Los Angeles, pp. 231–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, A., 1969bReflex Control of Stepping. The Nansen Memorial Lecture VUniversitetsforlaget, Oslo. McCrea, D. A., 2001, Spinal circuitry of sensorimotor control of locomotionJournal of Physiology533, 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonagh, J. C., Callister, R. J., Brichta, A. M., Reinking, R. M., and Stuart, D. G.,1999, A commentary on the properties of spinal intemeurons vs. motoneurons in vertebrates, and their firing-rate behavior during movement, in:Motor Control Today and TomorrowG. Gantchev, ed., Academic Publishing House “Prof. M. Drinov,” Sofia, pp. 3–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnus, R., 1909, On the control of movement by the central nervous system (in German)Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology130, 219–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuyama, K., and Mori, S., 1998, Lumbar intemeurons involved in the generation of fictive locomotion in catsAnnals of The New York Academy of Sciences860, 441–3.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Orlovsky, G. N., Deliagina, T. G., and Grillner, S., 1999Neuronal Control of Locomotion — From Mollusc to ManOxford University Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, K. G., 1993, Common principles of motor control in vertebrates and invertebratesAnnual Reviews of Neuroscience16, 265–297.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, K., and Gordon, J., 2000, Spinal reflexes, in:Principles of Neuroscience4th ed., E. R. Kandel, J. H. Schwartz and T. M. Jessell, eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 713–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prochazka, A., 1996, Proprioceptive feedback and movement regulation, in:Handbook of Physiology sec. 12. Exercise: Regulation and Integration of Multiple SystemsL. B. Rowell and J. T. Shepherd, eds., Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 89–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prochazka, A., Clarac, F., Loeb, G. E., Rothwell, J. C., and Wolpaw, J. R., 2000, What do reflex and voluntary mean? Modern views on an ancient debateExperimental Brain Research 130417–32.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, F. J. R., Cornell, B. D., and Singh, K., 1999, Animal models of motor systems: cautionary tales from studies of head movementProgress in Brain Research123, 411–416.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, A., Soffe, S. R., Wolf, E. S., Yoshida, M., and Zhao, F. Y., 1998, Central circuits controlling locomotion in young tadpolesAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences860, 19–34.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rossignol, S., 1996, Neural control of stereotypic limb movements, in:Handbook of Physiology sec. 12. Exercise: Regulation and Integration of Multiple SystemsL. B. Rowell and J. T. Shepherd, eds., Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 173–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, G.M., 1994NeurobiologyOxford University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1900, On the innervation of antagonistic muscles. Sixth noteProceedings of the Royal Society of London67B, 66–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1905, On reciprocal innervation of antagonistic muscles. Seventh noteProceedings of the Royal Society of London76B, 160–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1908a On the innervation of antagonistic muscles. Eleventh note: Further observations on successive inductionProceedings of the Royal Society of London80B, 53–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1908b On reciprocal innervation of antagonistic muscles. Twelth note: Proprioceptive reflexesProceedings of the Royal Society of London80B, 552–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1909, On plastic tonus and proprioceptive reflexesQuarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology2, 109–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1910, Flexion-reflex of the limb, crossed extension-reflex, and reflex stepping and standingJournal of Physiology40, 28–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1931, Quantitative management of contraction in lowest level co-ordination. Hughlings Jackson LectureBrain54, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S., 1932, VII. Lower reflex co-ordination, in:Reflex Activity of the Spinal CordR.S. Creed, D. Denny-Brown, J. C. Eccles, E. G. T. Liddell and C. S. Sherrington, eds., Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp 104–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C.S., and Sowton, S.C.M., 1911a, Chloroform and reversal of reflex effectJournal of Physiology42, 383–388.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C.S., and Sowton, S.C.M., 1911b, Reversal of the reflex effect of an afferent nerve by altering the character of the electrical stimulus appliedProceedings of the Royal Society of London83B, 435–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shik, M. L., Severin, F. V., and Orlovsky, G. N., 1966, Control of walking and running by means of electrical stimulation of the mid-brainBiophysics11, 756–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, P. S. G., 1995, A multi-level approach to motor pattern generation, in:Neural Control of Movement W.R. Ferrell and U. Proske, eds., Plenum Press, New York, pp. 159–165.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, P. S. G., 1999, Central pattern generators and interphyletic awarenessProgress in Brain Research123, 259–271.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, P. S. G., McCullough, M. L., and Currie, S. N., 1998, Spinal motor patterns in the turtleAnnals of The New York Academy of Sciences860, 142–154.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, P. S. G., Grillner, S., Selveston, A. I., and Stuart, D. G., (eds.), 1997Neurons Networks and Motor BehaviorMIT Press, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strausfeld, N. J., Hansen, L., Li, Y., Gomez, R. S., and Ito. K., 1998, Evolution, discovery, and interpretations of arthropod mushroom bodiesLearning and Memory 5 11–37.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stuart, D. G., 1985, Summary and challenges for future work, in:Motor Control: From Movement Trajectories to Neural Mechanisms. Short Course SyllabusP.S.G. Stein, ed., Society for Neuroscience, Bethesda, pp. 95–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuart, D. G., and McDonagh, J. C., 1998, Reflections on a Bernsteinian approach to systems neuroscience: The controlled locomotion of high-decerebrate cats, in:Progress in Motor Control: Bernstein’s Traditions in Movement StudiesM. L. Latash, ed., Human Kinetics, Champaign, pp. 21–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuart, D. G., Pierce, P. A., Callister, R. J., Brichta, A., and McDonagh, J. C., 2001, Sir Charles Sherrington: humanist, mentor, and movement neuroscientist, in:Classical Papers in Movement ScienceM. L. Latash, and V. Zatsiorsky, eds., Human Kinetics, Champaign, pp. 317–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • von Uexkull, R. R., 1897, On conditions underlying the initiation of secondary movement (in German)Zeitschrift fur Biologie35, 183–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • von Uexkull, R. R., 1904a, Studies on posture II: movement of the brittle star (in German)Zeitschrift fur Biologie44, 1–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • von Uexkull, R. R., 1904b, The origin of rhythmicity in the animal kingdom (in German)Ergebnisse der Physiologie3, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulinsky, P. S., 1997, Vertebrate nervous system, in:Comparative Physiology sec. 13 vol. IIW.H. Dantzler, cd., Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 17–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiesendanger, M., 1999, Manual dexterity and the making of tools - an introduction from an evolutionary perspectiveExperimental Brain Research 1281–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Windhorst, U, 1996, Spinal cord and brainstem: pattern generators and reflexes, in:Comprehensive Human Physiology: From Cellular Mechanisms to Integration vol. 1R. Greger and U. Windhorst, eds., Springer, Berlin, pp.1007–1032.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, 85724-5051, USA

    Douglas G. Stuart

Authors
  1. Douglas G. Stuart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Simon C. Gandevia

  2. Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Uwe Proske

  3. University of Arizona, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    Douglas G. Stuart

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Stuart, D.G. (2002). Reflections on Spinal Reflexes. In: Gandevia, S.C., Proske, U., Stuart, D.G. (eds) Sensorimotor Control of Movement and Posture. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 508. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0713-0_30

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0713-0_30

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5206-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0713-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation