Jf. Nielsen et al., Baclofen increases the soleus stretch reflex threshold in the early swing phase during walking in spastic multiple sclerosis patients, MULT SCLER, 6(2), 2000, pp. 105-114
The effect of baclofen on walking Performance was examined in nine spastic
multiple sclerosis Patients. In addition, nine healthy subjects were tested
as controls. The modulation of the short latency soleus stretch reflex was
closer to normal with baclofen compared to the recordings without baclofen
, the modulation index being 74% (range: 60 - 100) with baclofen and 62% (r
ange: 20 - 100) without baclofen, P=0.03. In healthy subjects the modulatio
n index was 100% (range: 52 - 100). In the early swing phase the threshold
of the soleus stretch reflex was significantly higher during baclofen medic
ation being 139 deg/s (range: 63 - 302) compared with 93 deg/s (range: 37 -
187) without baclofen, P=0.004. The relation between the stretch velocity
(input) and the amplitude of the stretch reflex (output) in early swing pha
se was unchanged being 0.27 mu Vs/ deg (range: 0.1 - 1.51) in patients with
baclofen and 0.24 mu Vs/deg (range: 0.08 - 0.79) without baclofen, P=0.25.
Baclofen induced no change in input-output properties of the stretch refle
x during walking compared with findings in a sitting position at matched EM
G activity. There was a significant correlation between clinical spasticity
score and stretch reflex threshold in the early swing phase (rho=0.61, P=0
.04) and between clinical spasticity score and the slope of the best linear
fit in the early swing phase (rho=0.72, P=0.009).