Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Afferent influences upon human genioglossal muscle

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Journal of Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Although extrinsic tongue muscles in man have been reported to contain muscle spindles, it has not been possible to record by electromyography any reflex response in the genioglossal muscle of healthy subjects upon stretching the tongue or upon electrical stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve. Neither could a silent period be evoked in the muscle following its twitch contraction. Nociceptive stimulation of the tongue mucosa during tongue protrusion elicited a crossed inhibitory reflex response in the genioglossal muscle. This reflex, conveyed centrally through the lingual nerve, could be involved in the prevention of tongue injuries during mastication.

Zusammenfassung

Es wird berichtet, daß die Zungenmuskulatur des Menschen Muskelspindeln enthält. Dennoch war es am Normalen nicht möglich, elektromyographisch eine Reflexantwort im Musculus genioglossus nach Strecken der Zunge oder elektrischer Reizung des Nervus hypoglossus zu erhalten. Auch konnte in diesem Muskel nach Kontraktion infolge Nervenreizung keine silent period nachgewiesen werden. Nocizeptive Reize der Zungenschleimhaut während des Herausstreckens der Zunge bewirkten gekreuzte Hemmreflexe im M. genioglossus. Diese Reflexe wurden durch den N. lingualis zentripetal geleitet und können eine Rolle beim Verhindern von Zungenverletzungen während des Kauaktes spielen.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adatia, A. K., Gehring, E. N.: Proprioceptive innervation of the tongue. J. Anat. (Lond.) 110, 215–220 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Barron, D. H.: A note on the course of the proprioceptor fibers from the tongue. Anat. Rec. 66, 11–15 (1936)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blom, S.: Afferent influences on tongue muscle activity. A morphological and physiological study in the cat. Acta physiol. scand. 49, Suppl. 170, 1–97 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Blom, S., Skoglund, S.: Some observations on the control of the tongue muscles. Experientia (Basel) 15, 12–13 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, J. P.: Muscle spindles in the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the Rhesus monkey's (Macaca mulatta) tongue. Anat. Rec. 161, 483–485 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, J. P., Combs, C. M.: The discharge patterns of lingual spindle afferent fibers in the hypoglossal nerve of the Rhesus monkey. Exp. Neurol. 21, 105–119 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, J. P., Combs, C. M.: The cerebrocortical projection of hypoglossal afferents. Exp. Neurol. 23, 291–301 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bratzlavsky, M.: Pauses in activity of human jaw closing muscle. Exp. Neurol. 36, 160–165 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cajal, S. Ramon Y.: Histologie du système nerveux de l'homme et des vertébrés, Vol. I. Paris: Maloine 1909

    Google Scholar 

  • Carleton, A.: Observations on the problem of the proprioceptive innervation of the tongue. J. Anat. (Lond.) 72, 502–507 (1937)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, S.: Muscle spindles in the intrinsic muscles of the human tongue. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 122, 193–202 (1953)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, S.: Afferent impulses in the hypoglossal nerve on stretching the cat's tongue. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 126, 32 P (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbin, K. B., Harrison, F.: The sensory innervation of the spinal accessory and tongue musculature in the rhesus monkey. Brain 62, 191–197 (1939)

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. C.: The central action of antidromic impulses in motor nerve fibres. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol. 260, 385–415 (1955)

    Google Scholar 

  • Granit, R., Kellerth, J. O., Szumski, A. J.: Intracellular autogenic effects of muscular contraction on extensor motoneurons. The silent period. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 182, 484–503 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, G., Aldskogius, H.: Silver impregnation of degenerating dentrites, cells and axons central to axonal transection. I. A Nauta study on the hypoglossal nerve in kittens. Exp. Brain Res. 3, 150–162 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, J. D., Negishi, K.: Membrane potentials in hypoglossal motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 26, 835–856 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, J., Widen, L.: Afferent fibers in the hypoglossal nerve of cat. Acta physiol. scand. 79, 24–36 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, P., Tonnies, J. F.: Nachweis des völlig konstanten Vorkommens des Zungen-Kieferreflexes beim Menschen. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol. 250, 103–108 (1948)

    Google Scholar 

  • Law, E.: Lingual proprioception in pig, dog and cat. Nature (Lond.) 174, 1107–1108 (1954)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorente de No, R.: Action potential of the motoneurons of the hypoglossal nucleus. J. cell. comp. Physiol. 29, 207–288 (1933)

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, P. A.: The silent period in a muscle of the human hand. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 114, 183–198 (1951)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morimoto, T., Kawamura, Y.: Discharge patterns of hypoglossal afferents in a cat. Brain Res. 35, 539–542 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morimoto, T., Kawamura, Y.: Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials of hypoglossal motoneurons of the cat. Exp. Neurol. 37, 188–198 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morimoto, T., Takata, M., Kawamura, Y.: Effect of lingual nerve stimulation on hypoglossal motoneurones. Exp. Neurol. 22, 174–190 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, R.: Synaptic potentials in hypoglossal motoneurones. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 180, 209–224 (1965)

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, R.: The synaptic basis of a bilateral lingual-hypoglossal reflex in cats. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 190, 611–627 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauerland, E. K., Mizuno, N.: Effect of trigeminal proprioceptive input on the linguo-hypoglossal reflex. Anat. Rec. 163, 322–323 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauerland, E. K., Thiele, H.: Presynaptic depolarisation of lingual and glossopharyngeal nerve afferents induced by stimulation of trigeminal proprioceptive fibers. Exp. Neurol. 28, 344–355 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R.: Untersuchungen über Zungen- und Kieferreflexe. I. Mitteilung: Der Kieferzungenreflex und andere proprioceptive Reflexe der Zunge und der Kiefermuskulatur. Arch. exp. Path. Pharm. 160, 29–48 (1931)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R., Koeppen, S.: Untersuchungen über Zungen- und Kieferreflexe. II. Mitteilung: Exteroceptive Reflexe und ihre wechselnde Schaltung. Arch. exp. Path. Pharm. 160, 343–368 (1931)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherrington, C. S.: Ont he anatomical constitution of nerves of skeletal muscles: with remarks on recurrent fibers in the ventral spinal cord. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 17, 211–258 (1894)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarkhan, A. A.: Über das Vorhandensein afferenter Fasern im Nervus hypoglossus. Arch. Psychiatr. 105, 475–483 (1936)

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, L. B., Rajagopal, M. D.: Neuromuscular spindles in the human tongue. Anat. Rec. 133, 438 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Weddell, G., Harpman, J. A., Lambley, D. G., Young, L.: The innervation of the musculature of the tongue. J. Anat. (Lond.) 74, 255–267 (1940)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zapata, P., Torrealba, G.: Mechanosensory units in the hypoglossal nerve of the cat. Brain Res. 32, 349–367 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Ghent, Belgium

    M. Bratzlavsky & H. vander Eecken

Authors
  1. M. Bratzlavsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. vander Eecken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bratzlavsky, M., vander Eecken, H. Afferent influences upon human genioglossal muscle. J. Neurol. 207, 19–25 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312589

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312589

Key words

Search

Navigation