Issler H, Stephens J A
J Physiol. 1983 Feb;335:643-54. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014556.
Cutaneous reflex responses have been recorded from forearm flexor and extensor muscles following electrical stimulation of the fingers. Recordings have been made from premature infants, term infants and children between the age of 6 weeks and 11 years. In the new-born, stimulation of the fingers elicits such a powerful reflex that, in general, individual stimuli will evoke a reflex synchronous action potential in both forearm flexor and extensor muscles. Individual stimuli delivered to the fingers also elicit reflex synchronous muscle action potentials in forearm flexor and extensor muscles in patients with clinical signs of upper motor neurone lesion affecting the upper limb; this has not been observed in normal adult subjects. The latency of the reflex response in the term infant is about 18 msec. Comparison of this value with the latency of the tendon jerk for these muscles would indicate a central delay for the cutaneous reflex of about 3 msec. The latencies of the cutaneous reflex and tendon jerk remain constant over the first 5 years of life. The size of the short-latency cutaneous reflex response decreases progressively over the first year of life. In the second year of life stimulation of the fingers produces long- as well as short-latency increases in recorded muscle electrical activity. The maturation of the cutaneous reflex response is discussed in terms of the maturation of function of the corticospinal tract.
在对手指进行电刺激后，已从前臂屈肌和伸肌记录到皮肤反射反应。记录对象包括早产儿、足月儿以及6周龄至11岁的儿童。在新生儿中，刺激手指会引发如此强烈的反射，以至于一般来说，单个刺激会在前臂屈肌和伸肌中诱发反射同步动作电位。对患有影响上肢的上运动神经元损伤临床体征的患者，向手指施加单个刺激也会在前臂屈肌和伸肌中诱发反射同步肌肉动作电位；这在正常成年受试者中未观察到。足月儿的反射反应潜伏期约为18毫秒。将该值与这些肌肉的腱反射潜伏期进行比较，表明皮肤反射的中枢延迟约为3毫秒。皮肤反射和腱反射的潜伏期在生命的头5年保持恒定。短潜伏期皮肤反射反应的大小在生命的第一年逐渐减小。在生命的第二年，刺激手指会使记录的肌肉电活动出现长潜伏期和短潜伏期的增加。根据皮质脊髓束功能的成熟情况讨论了皮肤反射反应的成熟过程。
