MUSCLE TONE - SPINAL REFELXES

Tone is ultimately controlled by impulses from the brain,

though special receptors in the muscles themselves are also
.instrumental in its regulation

The brain relies on input from these receptors as well as

those in tendons and joints to give it the information it needs to

.direct smooth and coordinated muscle movements
.Tone is regulated both by the brain and spinal cord

OVERVIEW OF MUSCLE TONE

The principal regulator of muscle tone is the small stretchsensitive intramuscular unit called the muscle spindle

When stretched, muscle spindles become activated, causing

an increase in the impulse firing rate of afferent nerve fibers
.from the spindles to the spinal cord
Other spindle afferents directly excite large alpha motor
.neurons innervating skeletal muscle fibers

This reflex activation causes contraction (and shortening) of

.the muscle via the simple myotatic or stretch reflex
This reflex functions as a servo-mechanism to maintain
.muscle tone at a preset level

If tone in a particular muscle decreases, allowing the muscle

to lengthen, the spindles become stretched and trigger increased

impulse firing in the spindle afferents, thereby increasing the

firing rate of the alpha motor neurons to that same muscle and
.causing it to contract
THE MUSCLE SPINDLE
Anatomy
.Muscle spindles are found in all skeletal muscles

The Myotatic (Stretch) Reflex

When a muscle is stretched, the spindles in that muscle are

.also stretched
Stretch stimulates the primary and secondary endings of the
Ia and II afferent fibers, causing them to send impulses into the
.cord
Many of these fibers (particularly the Ia fibers) synapse
directly on alpha motor neurons supplying the same muscle
.which was initially stretched

This causes the muscle to contract and shorten, relieving the

initial stretch
The myotatic or stretch reflex. Once the muscle contracts

and the stretch is relieved, the firing rate of the spindle afferents
returns to the resting level
muscles opposing a reflex movement (antagonists) to relax
.while those producing the movement (agonists) contract

This reciprocal action requires the incorporation of

.inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord

stimulate inhibitory interneurons which depress activity in

the alpha motor neurons to those muscles antagonistic to the
.desired movement
The Gamma Efferents and Spindle Sensitivity
The sensitivity of the muscle spindle is controlled by the
.activity of the gamma motor neurons

Spindle Maintenance of a Preset Muscle Tone

If the muscle relaxed too much it would lengthen and its
.spindles would stretch, initiating the stretch reflex
If the muscle contracted too much, it would shorten and its
.spindles would become increasingly slack
This would decrease the stimulation of the spindle afferents,
thereby decreasing the stimulation of the alpha motor neurons
.and causing the muscle to partially relax

Tuning" the Muscle Spindles"

In order to remain sensitive to the slightest change in muscle
tone it is important that the spindles not be allowed to go
.completely slack

The firing rate of the spindle afferents will increase or

decrease accordingly, and the spindles are said to be "in tune"

with the muscle
THE GOLGI TENDON ORGAN

The tendons of skeletal muscle contain special receptors

.called Golgi tendon organs
These receptors are sensitive to the changes in tension
.generated by muscles as they contract

It contacts with the peripheral endings of group Ib afferent

.fibers
As muscles contract and tension is applied to their tendons,
the tendon organs are stimulated, which in turn propagate
.impulses over group Ib fibers into the spinal cord

Function of the Golgi Tendon Organ

When tension in the tendons begins to exceed the level, the
tendon organs become sufficiently stimulated to produce
.impulse firing in the group Ib fibers
Like the spindle afferents, the group Ib fibers send collaterals
.into the spinal cord then conduct information the cerebellum
If the tension developed in a strongly contracting
muscle becomes excessive,
Tendon organs become sufficiently stimulated to send
large volleys of impulses into the cord to directly

stimulate the alpha motor neurons to antagonistic

muscles and inhibitory interneurons to homonymous
alpha motor neurons.
The resulting feed-forward inhibition to the strongly
contracting muscle causes it to suddenly relax, relieving
the strain on the tendon and preventing possible
damage.
This sudden relaxation of a muscle in the face of
dangerously high tension is called the lengthening
reaction or the "clasp-knife" reflex because of its
similarity to the way a pocketknife suddenly snaps
closed when the blade is moved to a certain critical
position.
OVERVIEW OF SPINAL REFLEXES
A reflex can be defined as a specific response to an adequate
.sensory stimulus