Independence of soleus H-reflex tests in control and spastic subjects shown by principal components analysis

Different soleus H-reflex tests are used in the study of neurophysiological mechanisms of motor control. We studied the interdependence pattern of a number of soleus H-reflex tests, i.e., vibratory inhibition, the ratio of the reflex response to direct muscle potential (H/M ratio) and the homonymous recovery curve with a principal components analysis in 48 healthy controls and 38 patients with signs of the upper motoneuron syndrome. In controls, the analysis showed 3 independent principal components (PCs). Vibratory inhibition and H/M ratio loaded on separate components. Late facilitation and late inhibition variables of the recovery curve loaded on the third component due to the positive correlation (P < 0.001) between these variables. In spastic patients the analysis identified 4 independent PCs corresponding with vibratory inhibition, H/M ratio, late facilitation and late inhibition variables, respectively. The findings suggest that the mutual independence of the different soleus H-reflex tests in patients with the upper motoneuron syndrome has retained the control situation to a large extent.