Both standing and postural threat decrease Achilles’ tendon reflex inhibition from tendon electrical stimulation

Key points Golgi tendon organs (GTOs) and associated Ib reflexes contribute to standing balance, but the potential impacts of threats to standing balance on Ib reflexes are unknown. Tendon electrical stimulation to the Achilles’ tendon was used to probe changes in Ib inhibition in medial gastrocnemius with postural orientation (lying prone vs . upright standing; experiment 1) and height‐induced postural threat (standing at low and high surface heights; experiment 2). Ib inhibition was reduced while participants stood upright, compared to lying prone (42.2%); and further reduced when standing in the high, compared to low, threat condition (32.4%). These experiments will impact future research because they demonstrate that tendon electrical stimulation can be used to probe Ib reflexes in muscles engaged in standing balance. These results provide novel evidence that human short‐latency GTO‐Ib reflexes are dependent upon both task, as evidenced by changes with postural orientation, and context, such as height‐induced postural threat during standing.Abstract Golgi tendon organ Ib reflexes are thought to contribute to standing balance control, but it is unknown if they are modulated when people are exposed to a postural threat. We used a novel application of tendon electrical stimulation (TStim) to elicit Ib inhibitory reflexes in the medial gastrocnemius, while actively engaged in upright standing balance, to examine (a) how Ib reflexes to TStim are influenced by upright stance, and (b) the effects of height‐induced postural threat on Ib reflexes during standing. TStim evoked short‐latency (<47 ms) inhibition apparent in trigger‐averaged rectified EMG, which was quantified in terms of area, duration and mean amplitude of inhibition. In order to validate the use of TStim in a standing model, TStim‐Ib inhibition was compared from conditions where participants were lying prone vs . standing upright. TStim evoked Ib inhibition in both conditions; however, significant reductions in Ib inhibition area (42.2%) and duration (32.9%) were observed during stance. Postural threat, manipulated by having participants stand at LOW (0.8 m high, 0.6 m from edge) and HIGH (3.2 m, at edge) elevated surfaces, significantly reduced Ib inhibition area (32.4%), duration (16.4%) and amplitude (24.8%) in the HIGH, compared to LOW, threat condition. These results demonstrate TStim is a viable technique for investigating Ib reflexes in standing, and confirm Ib reflexes are modulated with postural orientation. The novel observation of reduced Ib inhibition with elevated postural threat reveals that human Ib reflexes are context dependent, and the human Ib reflex pathways are modulated by threat or emotional processing centres of the CNS.