The influence of joint afferent discharge on locomotion, proprioception and activity in conscious cats

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(85)90887-X

Brain Research

Volume 347, Issue 1, 11 November 1985, Pages 41-48

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(85)90887-X Get rights and content

Abstract

Injection of local anaesthetic into the knee joint cavity in a series of 14 cats produced obvious abnormalities of posture and gait in half the animals. However, on employing a more sensitive testing procedure, 7 out of 8 animals exhibited reduced proprioceptive acuity after knee joint anaesthesia, and all animals tested showed marked reduction in motor activity after this procedure. Control procedures revealed that these were due to the local anaesthetic agent, and that this remained localized the knee joint and did not diffuse out to block cutaneous and muscle afferents. Thus, joint afferents would appear to play a significant role in the regulation of posture and movement.

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Cited by (44)

Comparison of neck extensor muscle endurance and cervical proprioception between asymptomatic individuals and patients with chronic neck pain: Neck muscle endurance and proprioception
2021, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
Citation Excerpt :
Cervical proprioception is of great importance for the spatial orientation and movement of the head and neck in relation to the trunk (Mergner et al., 2001). The proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual systems act in a closed-loop to maintain dynamic stability during movement (Ferrell et al., 1985). Impaired proprioception can alter afferent inputs to the higher centers and induce illusions of disturbed body positioning.
Neck extensor endurance (NEE) and cervical proprioception are vital for maintaining cervical spine function and defects in these processes have been associated with chronic neck pain (CNP). The objectives of the study are 1) To investigate the association between NEE and cervical joint position error (JPE) in subjects with CNP; 2) to compare the cervical extensor endurance and cervical JPE of CNP subjects with those of asymptomatic controls; and 3) to determine the relationship between Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) scores, NEE, and cervical JPE in subjects with CNP.
Sixty-four participants (32 asymptomatic, 32 with CNP) participated in this comparative cross-sectional study. Cervical proprioception was assessed by measuring the absolute JPE in the sagittal and transverse directions. NEE was assessed using a clinical extensor endurance test. NEE capacity and JPE were compared and correlated between asymptomatic and CNP subjects. Pain catastrophic behavior was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) in CNP subjects.
CNP subjects showed lower NEE capacity (p < 0.001) and significantly larger JPEs (p < 0.001) than asymptomatic participants. NEE negatively correlated with JPEs in all directions (p < 0.001) in asymptomatic subjects and only neck extension errors showed a correlation in CNP subjects (r = −0.45, p = 0.009). PCS scores were negatively correlated with endurance capacity (r = −0.42, p = 0.017) and positively correlated with JPE (flexion: r = 0.57, p = 0.001).
CNP subjects showed impaired proprioception and lower endurance capacity compared to asymptomatic participants. Neck extension errors alone correlated with JPE in CNP subjects. PCS scores negatively correlated with NEE in subjects with CNP.
Relationship Between Proprioception and Endurance Functionality of the Cervical Flexor Muscles in Chronic Neck Pain and Asymptomatic Participants
2018, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Citation Excerpt :
Proprioceptive function accuracy has recently gained considerable attention in the description and assessment of CNP.6-8 Proprioception functioning in a closed loop between peripheral mechanoreceptors (lying within muscles and other connective soft tissues) and the brain plays a crucial role in the maintenance of joint stability in a dynamic situation.9 This sense (in conjunction with visual and vestibular afferents) provides the central nervous system (CNS) with the necessary information to parameterize the efferent motor commands necessary for postural and motor control.10,11
The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between flexion endurance capacity and joint position error in participants with or without chronic neck pain (CNP).
Sixty-one CNP and 60 asymptomatic volunteers participated in this cross-sectional, case-control, and correlational analysis study. The measured variables included absolute and constant joint repositioning errors in the sagittal and horizontal directions, clinical flexor endurance test score, pain intensity, and neck disability index.
The groups did not statistically differ in flexion endurance (P > .05). The CNP group had a smaller absolute error on the right (P < .01) and left (P = .01) rotation and an overshooting error pattern in the flexion direction (P < .05). But the asymptomatic group did not exhibit any over-/undershooting pattern tendency (P > .05). Although flexion endurance was not correlated with any of the joint repositioning error components in either group, pain and disability scores were significantly correlated with left rotation absolute error (r = –0.34 and ρ = –0.37, respectively).
The clinical cervical flexor endurance test, ignoring the relative contribution of the deep and superficial groups of muscles, may not efficiently characterize CNP patients.
Effects of joint effusion on proprioception in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial
2011, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Citation Excerpt :
First, the presence of fluid could cause distension of the joint capsule, affecting mechanoreceptors in the joint, and this effect may be more obvious in the OA knee which has presumably pre-existing arthritic damage to articular mechanoreceptors resulting from inflammation. It may evoke abnormal afferent discharge that decreases γ-motoneuron excitability, which would decrease muscle spindle sensitivity, and consequently decrease proprioceptive acuity29,33,34. In addition, increased IAP of the knee joint could result from the low compliance of the joint capsule15, which in turn would cause a decline in proprioceptive acuity, thereby exaggerating the mechanical effects.
To assess the effects of joint effusion on proprioceptive status in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
A single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial in 40 female subjects aged 50 years and over with painful knee OA. All subjects were randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group. A volume of 20 mL of normal saline was injected into the knee joint cavity of subjects in the experimental group under ultrasonographic guidance. Proprioceptive acuity was assessed by active repositioning of the lower limb using an electrogoniometer to measure knee joint position sense (JPS) under both non-weight-bearing (NWB) and weight-bearing (WB) conditions twice, with a 20-min rest interval. The experimental group performed the task twice (Test 1 and Test 2) before and within 5 min after joint infusion. The control group also performed Test 1 and Test 2 without joint infusion. The outcome of interest was the absolute angular error (AAE), ignoring the direction of the error, between the randomized target angle and the patient’s reproduced angle of JPS values.
Compared with the control group, JPS was significantly compromised in the experimental group in the NWB test after joint infusion (P = 0.025). However, no significant differences in the angular error were observed between Test 1 and Test 2 in the control group for the NWB or WB test or in the experimental group for the WB test after infusion (P > 0.05).
This study showed that joint effusion impairs proprioceptive function in osteoarthritic knee joints.
NCT01060215 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier)
Association between cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility and frequency of subclinical neck pain
2008, Manual Therapy
Citation Excerpt :
Meanwhile, it has also been found that a proprioceptive training program (including head repositioning) can reduce the symptoms affecting the neck (Revel et al., 1994; Taimela et al., 2000). Since previous studies showed that proprioception is critical to the maintenance of joint stability under dynamic conditions (Ferrell et al., 1985), impairment of proprioception might be a predisposing factor in the development of clinical pain (Sharma et al., 1997; Vilensky, 2003; Panjabi, 2006). Pain intensity has been a major focus for clinical research on neck pain (Revel et al., 1991; Heikkila and Astrom, 1996; Chiu et al., 2005).
Although impaired neck proprioception has been demonstrated in patients with chronic neck pain, previous studies have not consistently shown any association between pain intensity and proprioceptive performance. We therefore investigated whether temporal aspects of pain are associated with cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility. One hundred and twenty-seven adults with or without subclinical neck pain undertook two tasks, repositioning their heads to the neutral head position (head-to-NHP) and target position (head-to-target) in sagittal and transverse plane. Absolute error was calculated from position data recorded by an ultrasound-based motion analysis system. Pain frequency, duration, and intensity were evaluated using a questionnaire. A mixed effects model was constructed to test the effect on reposition error by different pain factors, with age, gender and maximal cervical range of motion as covariates. A higher pain frequency was associated with greater reposition errors for all movement directions in the head-to-NHP task. No consistent effect was observed for pain intensity or duration. In the case of the head-to-target task, no consistent effect was observed for any of the three pain factors. The findings reveal that pain frequency, not the intensity or duration of pain, is associated with neck proprioception in individuals with subclinical neck pain.
Motor function and joint position sense in relation to gait performance in chronic stroke patients
2005, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Lin S-I. Motor function and joint position sense in relation to gait performance in chronic stroke patients.
To determine the association between joint position sense (JPS) and motor function of the lower extremity and gait performance of patients with chronic stroke.
Single-group cross-sectional design.
University gait laboratory.
Twenty-one patients with stroke onset of more than 6 months.
Not applicable.
The isometric strength, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) motor status, and JPS of the lower extremity were tested. Spatiotemporal gait characteristics were measured using a 6-camera motion analysis system, with patients walking at their comfortable speeds while using their usual devices.
Lower-extremity muscle strength and FMA motor score correlated significantly with the spatiotemporal characteristics of gait and contributed significantly to the variance in gait velocity, stride length, and double-stance time. The JPS was not related to gait performance, except that the ankle JPS contributed significantly to the variance in gait velocity and stride length.
For patients with chronic stroke, motor function was significantly related to gait performance. Although the JPS was not, that of the ankle joint made a significant contribution. When enhancing gait performance is desired, improving the motor function is recommended, and the role of JPS should also be taken into consideration.
Selective joint denervation promotes knee osteoarthritis in the aging rat
2002, Journal of Orthopaedic Research
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder with aging, but its cause is unknown. Mice lose joint afferents with aging, and this loss precedes development of osteoarthritis. We hypothesized a loss of joint afferents is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.
To test this hypothesis, we denervated knee joints of 16 rats at age 2 months, by intra-articular injection of an immunotoxin. The immunotoxin killed neurons after retrograde axonal transport to the cell body. At 16 or 24 months follow-up, each joint was histologically assessed and assigned an osteoarthritis score.
At follow-up, the number of joint afferents had spontaneously decreased by 42% in control knees and 69% in denervated knees. We found that control knees developed osteoarthritic changes with aging. However, denervated knees had far more severe changes, as evidenced by a 54% higher average osteoarthritis score than control knees (P=0.0016, both groups 16 knees).
These results suggest a loss of afferents predisposes a joint to osteoarthritis. We propose the spontaneous loss of neurons with aging may be a normal developmental process. To explain the mechanism causing osteoarthritis, we suggest denervation permits aberrant joint loading, either by disturbing neuromuscular joint control, or by inducing joint laxity after neurogenic loss of tissue homeostasis.

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The influence of joint afferent discharge on locomotion, proprioception and activity in conscious cats

Abstract

Brain Research

Brain Research

Brain Research

Antagonist muscle and joint receptors help to regulate cat limb trajectories

J. Physiol. (London)

Techniques for detecting abnormalities of posture and movement in concious cats following anaesthesia of one knee joint

J. Physiol. (London)

The effect of knee joint afferent discharge on transmission in flexion reflex pathways in decerebrate cats

J. Physiol. (London)