Förster-Altenburger Myostatic Reflex

The Foerster-Altenburger myostatic reflex (MR) is a physiological phenomenon observed when peripheral nerves are stimulated. MR is that when a nerve is stimulated, a muscle contraction occurs that lasts several seconds after the stimulation of the nerve stops. This phenomenon was described by the German neurologist and psychiatrist Otto Foerster and his colleague Altenburger in 1906.

MR is an important tool for studying peripheral nerve function and can be used in medical diagnostics. For example, in cases of facial paralysis, MR can help determine which muscles are paralyzed and which are not. In addition, MR can be used to evaluate the nervous system in various diseases such as stroke and other neurological disorders.

The MR mechanism is associated with the presence of special receptors in the muscles that respond to changes in the electrical potential in the nerve. When a nerve is stimulated, these receptors are activated and cause the muscle to contract. In this case, the contraction lasts several seconds until the receptors return to their normal state.

In medical practice, MR is used to diagnose and treat various diseases of the nervous system. For example, MR can help identify peripheral nerve damage due to injury or other diseases. MR can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for nervous system diseases such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.

However, it should be noted that MR is not a universal diagnostic method and cannot replace other methods for studying the nervous system. Therefore, for accurate diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system, it is necessary to use a complex of methods, including MR, electrophysiological studies and other methods.