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New Jersey Institute of Technology

Theses/Dissertations

2002

Spasticity

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A Computational Model Of Spasticity Based On A Decoupling Of The Alpha And Gamma Efferents, Bruno A. Mantilla May 2002

A Computational Model Of Spasticity Based On A Decoupling Of The Alpha And Gamma Efferents, Bruno A. Mantilla

Theses

It is generally accepted that spasticity results from changes in the excitability of the stretch reflex. This change lowers the threshold of the motoneurons of the spinal cord where the integration of a signal from velocity/position sensors is processed and then fed back to the contracting muscle (alphaextrafusal and gamma-intrafusal fibers). The stretch reflex depends on the initial length of the muscle, the stretch velocity and voluntary activity. The exact sequence of the triggering events remains unknown, is poorly understood and as a result is controversial. The clinical classification scales are mainly subjective and by definition, inaccurate.

This computational model …