@article {3385,
	title = {Operant conditioning of the soleus H-reflex does not induce long-term changes in the gastrocnemius H-reflexes and does not disturb normal locomotion in humans.},
	journal = {J Neurophysiol},
	volume = {112},
	year = {2014},
	month = {09/2014},
	pages = {1439-46},
	abstract = {<p>In normal animals, operant conditioning of the spinal stretch reflex or the H-reflex has lesser effects on synergist muscle reflexes. In rats and people with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), soleus H-reflex operant conditioning can improve locomotion. We studied in normal humans the impact of soleus H-reflex down-conditioning on medial (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) H-reflexes and on locomotion. Subjects completed 6 baseline and 30 conditioning sessions. During conditioning trials, the subject was encouraged to decrease soleus H-reflex size with the aid of visual feedback. Every sixth session, MG and LG H-reflexes were measured. Locomotion was assessed before and after conditioning. In successfully conditioned subjects, the soleus H-reflex decreased 27.2\%. This was the sum of within-session (task dependent) adaptation (13.2\%) and across-session (long term) change (14\%). The MG H-reflex decreased 14.5\%, due mainly to task-dependent adaptation (13.4\%). The LG H-reflex showed no task-dependent adaptation or long-term change. No consistent changes were detected across subjects in locomotor H-reflexes, EMG activity, joint angles, or step symmetry. Thus, in normal humans, soleus H-reflex down-conditioning does not induce long-term changes in MG/LG H-reflexes and does not change locomotion. In these subjects, task-dependent adaptation of the soleus H-reflex is greater than it is in people with SCI, whereas long-term change is less. This difference from results in people with SCI is consistent with the fact that long-term change is beneficial in people with SCI, since it improves locomotion. In contrast, in normal subjects, long-term change is not beneficial and may necessitate compensatory plasticity to preserve satisfactory locomotion.</p>},
	keywords = {Learning, plasticity, Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord, synergists},
	issn = {1522-1598},
	doi = {10.1152/jn.00225.2014},
	url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24944216},
	author = {Makihara, Yukiko and Segal, Richard L and Jonathan Wolpaw and Thompson, Aiko K}
}
@article {3389,
	title = {The simplest motor skill: mechanisms and applications of reflex operant conditioning.},
	journal = {Exerc Sport Sci Rev},
	volume = {42},
	year = {2014},
	month = {04/2014},
	pages = {82-90},
	abstract = {Operant conditioning protocols can change spinal reflexes gradually, which are the simplest behaviors. This article summarizes the evidence supporting two propositions: that these protocols provide excellent models for defining the substrates of learning and that they can induce and guide plasticity to help restore skills, such as locomotion, that have been impaired by spinal cord injury or other disorders.},
	keywords = {Animals, Conditioning, Operant, H-Reflex, Humans, Motor Skills, Muscle, Skeletal, Neuronal Plasticity, Reflex, Spinal Cord, Spinal Cord Injuries},
	issn = {1538-3008},
	doi = {10.1249/JES.0000000000000010},
	url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24508738},
	author = {Thompson, Aiko K and Jonathan Wolpaw}
}
