VIEW Open Access Muscle Spindle Function in Healthy and Diseased Muscle Stephan Kröger* and Bridgette Watkins
Kröger and Watkins Skeletal Muscle (2021) 11:3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13395-020-00258-x REVIEW Open Access Muscle spindle function in healthy and diseased muscle Stephan Kröger* and Bridgette Watkins Abstract Almost every muscle contains muscle spindles. These delicate sensory receptors inform the central nervous system (CNS) about changes in the length of individual muscles and the speed of stretching. With this information, the CNS computes the position and movement of our extremities in space, which is a requirement for motor control, for maintaining posture and for a stable gait. Many neuromuscular diseases affect muscle spindle function contributing, among others, to an unstable gait, frequent falls and ataxic behavior in the affected patients. Nevertheless, muscle spindles are usually ignored during examination and analysis of muscle function and when designing therapeutic strategies for neuromuscular diseases. This review summarizes the development and function of muscle spindles and the changes observed under pathological conditions, in particular in the various forms of muscular dystrophies. Keywords: Mechanotransduction, Sensory physiology, Proprioception, Neuromuscular diseases, Intrafusal fibers, Muscular dystrophy In its original sense, the term proprioception refers to development of head control and walking, an early im- sensory information arising in our own musculoskeletal pairment of fine motor skills, sensory ataxia with un- system itself [1–4]. Proprioceptive information informs steady gait, increased stride-to-stride variability in force us about the contractile state and movement of muscles, and step length, an inability to maintain balance with about muscle force, heaviness, stiffness, viscosity and ef- eyes closed (Romberg’s sign), a severely reduced ability fort and, thus, is required for any coordinated move- to identify the direction of joint movements, and an ab- ment, normal gait and for the maintenance of a stable sence of tendon reflexes [6–12].
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