Abstract
Summary
The effect of caffeine on spinal reflexes has been studied by electrophysiological methods. The monosynaptic reflex evoked by stimulating the biceps-semitendinosus nerves does not show consistent change with doses of caffeine up to 100 mg/kg. The time course of direct inhibition of the monosynaptic reflex is not affected by caffeine. The polysynaptic reflex evoked by stimulation of the sural nerve shows a marked increase. The minimum effective dose is approximately 5 mg/kg. The input-output relationship of the polysynaptic reflex after caffeine suggests that the effect of caffeine is to recruit neurones at all levels of input rather than to shift all neurones toward the same threshold.
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