Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24292018›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2014

The effect of age on post-activation depression of the upper limb H-reflex.

Carlo Trompetto, Lucio Marinelli, Laura Mori, Stefania Canneva, Federica Colombano, Elisabetta Traverso, Antonio Currà, Giovanni Abbruzzese

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In one paragraph

Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. The Hoffmann Reflex.NeuroSci · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Carlo TrompettoDepartment of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Institute of Neurology, University of Genova, Largo Daneo 3, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
Lucio Marinelli
Laura Mori
Stefania Canneva
Federica Colombano
Elisabetta Traverso
Antonio Currà
Giovanni Abbruzzese
University of Genoa · ITSapienza University of Rome · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePost-activation depression (PaD) refers to the inhibition of the H-reflex induced by a preceding conditioning stimulus able to activate the afferents mediating the H-reflex itself. PaD can be investigated assessing the frequency-related depression of the H-reflex. This parameter, which is highly correlated to the severity of spasticity, has been used in the longitudinal assessment of spastic patients, in particular to assess the effect of drugs and rehabilitation over the years. However, in such longitudinal assessment, changes observed might be age related and not only disease related. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible age effects on PaD.

methodsThe frequency-related depression of the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) H-reflex was examined in two groups of young (20 subjects; 28 ± 3 years) and aged (18 subjects; 69 ± 6 years) healthy subjects. PaD was evaluated by comparing the H-reflex amplitudes obtained with a stimulation frequency of 0.1 Hz with those obtained using higher frequencies (0.33-0.5-1-2 Hz).

resultsThe results showed that frequency-related depression of the FCR H-reflex is similar in young and elderly subjects at all frequencies, with the exception of 2 Hz.

conclusionOur study shows that ageing does not affect the frequency-related depression of the FCR H-reflex at the frequencies of 1 Hz or lower, supporting the reliability of this method to assess PaD in the clinical practice, particularly for the longitudinal assessment of spasticity. A decrease of GABA-ergic presynaptic inhibition seems to be the more likely explanation for the age-related changes that we observed at the frequency of 2 Hz.

Indexed as

H-ReflexLong-Term Synaptic DepressionAdultAgedAge FactorsCase-Control StudiesElectric StimulationFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMuscle, SkeletalUpper Extremity

Identifiers

PMID24292018
OpenAlexW2015977040

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.