Facilitation of the maximum voluntary contraction in hemiplegia by concomitant cutaneous stimulation

Abstract

The effects of rapid brushing on the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and tonic vibratory reflex (TVR) of various muscles requiring facilitation (quadriceps, biceps femoris and tibialis anterior) were studied in two samples of hemiplegics. Brushing was studied under experimental and placebo conditions. In the first experiment, brushing produced significant facilitation of MVC and TVR in the quadriceps, replicating the findings of Spicer and Matyas (1980) and Matyas and Spicer (1980). However, the effect of the TVR failed to predict the gain in MVC that resulted from brushing. In the second sample of hemiplegics, brushing produced significant facilitation of the MVC and TVR in the biceps f..