Use-dependent gain change in the reflex contribution to extensor activity in walking cats.

Denervation of the synergists of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle in the cat hind leg results in a progressive increase in the magnitude of burst activity in the MG muscle during walking. The increase in burst magnitude is associated with an increase in the slope of the relationship between the magnitude of individual MG bursts and the amplitude of ankle flexion during stance. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the increase in MG burst magnitude is due to an increase in gain of reflex pathways reinforcing the activation of MG. The increase in slope is use-dependent since it was not observed when the leg was released from a cast that immobilized the leg for 6 days.