Abstract
Although extrinsic tongue muscles in man have been reported to contain muscle spindles, it has not been possible to record by electromyography any reflex response in the genioglossal muscle of healthy subjects upon stretching the tongue or upon electrical stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve. Neither could a silent period be evoked in the muscle following its twitch contraction. Nociceptive stimulation of the tongue mucosa during tongue protrusion elicited a crossed inhibitory reflex response in the genioglossal muscle. This reflex, conveyed centrally through the lingual nerve, could be involved in the prevention of tongue injuries during mastication.
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