To use an established biomechanical approach to quantify reflex and non-reflex responses from spastic-paretic elbow flexors in response to controlled cold and heat stimulation.
Thirteen spastic-hemiplegic stroke subjects were tested in the experiment. The spastic elbow joint was stretched into extension for 50° at two speeds (5°/s and 100°/s) in a customized apparatus. Thermal stimulation (HEAT at heat pain threshold, COLD at 0°C, or BASELINE at room temperature) was applied to the thenar eminence of the contralateral hand immediately prior to stretching for at least 30 s.
Total torque was greater at 100°/s than at 5°/s. Total torque was significantly increased after COLD, but not HEAT as compared to BASELINE. When normalized to total torque at baseline, HEAT decreased total torque by 6.3%, while COLD increased total torque by 11.0%. There was no significant difference in the reflex torque among three thermal conditions.
The findings demonstrate differentiated effects of cold stimulation on the total resistance from spastic muscles. They provide objective evidence for anecdotal clinical observations of increased muscle spasticity by cold exposure.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 9. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 01 May 2017.
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#3,988,718
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Outputs of similar age from Frontiers in Neurology
#37
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Altmetric has tracked 24,643,522 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 83rd percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 13,722 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.4. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 74% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 172 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 79% of its contemporaries.
