Comparison of the reticulospinal drive to lumbar erector spinae muscles in postural and voluntary tasks using the StartReact paradigm.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

While lesion and neurophysiological animal studies point toward a notable involvement of subcortical pathways in the control of low back muscles, little attention has been dedicated to the subject in humans. The StartReact paradigm may allow to indirectly test the potential contribution of the reticulospinal system during motor control, thus addressing this gap of knowledge. In this study, we aimed to compare the potential contribution of the reticulospinal system in the control of low back muscles during voluntary (lumbar spine extension) and postural (upper limb movement eliciting anticipatory postural adjustment) tasks using the StartReact paradigm.

Methods

The reaction time (RT) of the lumbar erector spinae was measured within a simple precued RT task

SUBMITTER: Pouliot J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507832 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature