Modulation of Soleus H-Reflex during Shortening and Lengthening Muscle Actions in Young and Older Adults

The H-reflex is dependently modulated during isometric and anisometric muscle actions. However, the manner of the H-reflex modulation during dynamic muscle movements in relation to ageing is less stated in the literature. This study was designed to investigate the effects of ageing on soleus (SOL) H-reflex modulation during dynamic muscle actions. Twenty young (24 ± 4 years of age) and 20 older adults (73 ± 5 years of age) voluntarily participated in the study. The SOL H-reflex was measured during passive and active shortening and lengthening muscle actions in a sitting position. The older group showed a lower ratio of the maximal amplitude of H-reflex to M-wave (SOL Hmax/Mmax) during the passive lengthening than that during the passive shortening (shortening: 0.40 ± 0.22 vs. lengthening: 0.15 ± 0.10, P < 0.05), whereas the SOL Hmax/Mmax ratio of the young group was significantly higher during the shortening than that during the lengthening contractions at maximal effort (shortening: 0.51 ± 0.26 vs. lengthening: 0.37 ± 0.18, P < 0.05). These results suggested different modulations of group Ia afferent inputs to the SOL motoneurons during passive and active dynamic muscle actions between young and older adults.