Depression of transmission from group II muscle afferents by electrical stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus in the cat

1995 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. Noga ◽  
E. Jankowska ◽  
B. Skoog
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Cuneiform Nucleus ◽  
Group Ii Muscle Afferents ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Stimulation Of

Responses of cortical neurons (areas 3a and 4) to ramp stretch of hindlimb muscles in the baboon

1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hore ◽  
J. B. Preston ◽  
P. D. Cheney
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Muscle Stretch ◽  
Hindlimb Muscles ◽  
Group I ◽  
Hindlimb Muscle ◽  
Area 3A ◽  
Group Ii Muscle Afferents ◽  
Group Ii

1. A study was made of the response of single cortical units in areas 3a and 4 to electrical stimulation of hindlimb muscle nerves and to ramp stretch of hindlimb muscles in baboons anesthetized with chloralose.2. Stimulation of hindlimb muscle nerves revealed a group I projection primarily to area 3a but with some input into adjacent area. 4. A major group II projection was found in area 4 adjacent to area 3a. A small number of area 3a neurons receive convergence from both group I and group II muscle afferents.3a. On the basis of their response pattern to ramp stretch, units were classified into one of six categories and their cytoarchitectonic location was determined. Units in area 3a had hynamic sensitivities equivalent to that of the primary spindle afferents. Although the discharge of some area 3a neurons also reflected differences in muscle length, most area 3a neurons had low position sensitivities. One unit type in area 3a did not respond to maintained muscle stretch and signaled only velocity of stretch.4. Units in area 4 had position sensitivities equivalent to that of primary and secondary spindle afferents. Although the discharge of some area 4 units reflected different velocities of muscle stretch, these units had dynamic sensitivities similar to those of secondary spindle afferents rather than those of primary afferents. One type of unit in area 4 had no dynamic component to muscle stretch and signaled only muscle length.5. The results demonstrate that there is a transfer of dynamic and position sensitivity from spindle afferents to cortical neurons. Furthermore, data processing has occurred because some units respond only to the steady-state length of muscle, while other units encode only the dynamic phase of stretch. This behavior is different from the responses to ramp stretch of either group I or group II muscle afferents in the baboon.6. The results demonstrate that single units in cerebral cortex can encode the information transmitted to the central nervous system by muscle spindle afferents. The purpose for which this information is used remains undetermined.

Declining inhibition elicited in cat lumbar motoneurons by repetitive stimulation of group II muscle afferents

1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1805-1810 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lafleur ◽  
D. Zytnicki ◽  
G. Horcholle-Bossavit ◽  
L. Jami
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Repetitive Stimulation ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Constant Input ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Group I ◽  
Constant Strength ◽  
Group I Afferents ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. The aim of the present experiments was to verify whether group II inputs from gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle could elicit declining inhibitions similar to those observed during GM contractions in a variety of lumbar motoneurons of the cat spinal cord. Motoneurons were recorded intracellularly in chloralose- or pentobarbitone-anesthetized preparations during electrical stimulation of GM nerve with repetitive trains. 2. With strengths in the group I range, repetitive stimulation evoked the usual Ia excitation in homonymous motoneurons and excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitudes remained constant throughout the stimulation sequence. In synergic plantaris motoneurons lacking an excitatory connection with Ia afferents from GM, the same stimulation, kept at a constant strength throughout the stimulation sequence, elicited rapidly decreasing inhibitory potentials reminiscent of those evoked by GM contractions. 3. In motoneurons of pretibial flexors, quadriceps, and posterior biceps-semitendinosus, the stimulation strength required to observe declining inhibitions resembling those produced by GM contractions was 4-8 times group I threshold, engaging group II in addition to group I fibers. 4. These results show that input from GM group II plus group I afferents can elicit inhibitory effects in a variety of motoneurons. Such observations support the hypothesis that messages from spindle secondary endings and/or nonspecific muscle receptors activated during contraction might contribute to the widespread inhibition caused by GM contractions. 5. Inasmuch as constant input in group II and group I afferents evoked declining inhibitory potentials, the origin of the decline must be central, which suggests that the rapid reduction of contraction-induced inhibitions also depended on a central mechanism.

Central command, but not muscle reflex, stimulates cutaneous sympathetic efferents of cats

1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (5) ◽  
pp. H1552-H1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janeen M. Hill ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Blocking Agent ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Hairy Skin ◽  
Sympathetic Efferents ◽  
Muscle Reflex ◽  
Decerebrate Cats ◽  
Sympathetic Discharge ◽  
Stimulation Of

We determined the effects of stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) and the muscle reflex, each evoked separately, on the discharge of cutaneous sympathetic fibers innervating the hairy skin of decerebrate cats. Electrical stimulation of the MLR was performed while the cats were paralyzed with vecuronium bromide. The muscle reflex was evoked while the cats were not paralyzed by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve at current intensities that did not activate directly group III and IV muscle afferents. MLR stimulation increased, on average, the discharge of the 23 cutaneous sympathetic fibers tested ( P < 0.05). The muscle reflex, in contrast, had no overall effect on the discharge of 21 sympathetic fibers tested ( P > 0.05). Both maneuvers markedly increased mean arterial pressure and heart rate ( P < 0.05). Prevention of the baroreceptor reflex with the α-adrenergic blocking agent phentolamine did not reveal a stimulatory effect of the muscle reflex on cutaneous sympathetic discharge. We conclude that the MLR is a more important mechanism than is the muscle reflex in controlling sympathetic discharge to hairy skin during dynamic exercise.

Contribution of hind limb flexor muscle afferents to the timing of phase transitions in the cat step cycle

1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1126-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. Hiebert ◽  
P. J. Whelan ◽  
A. Prochazka ◽  
K. G. Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Stance Phase ◽  
Flexor Muscle ◽  
Step Cycle ◽  
Locomotor Rhythm ◽  
Ia Afferents ◽  
Group I ◽  
Flexor Muscles ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that muscle spindle afferents signaling the length of hind-leg flexor muscles are involved in terminating extensor activity and initiating flexion during walking. The hip flexor muscle iliopsoas (IP) and the ankle flexors tibialis anterior (TA) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were stretched or vibrated at various phases of the step cycle in spontaneously walking decerebrate cats. Changes in electromyogram amplitude, duration, and timing were then examined. The effects of electrically stimulating group I and II afferents in the nerves to TA and EDL also were examined. 2. Stretch of the individual flexor muscles (IP, TA, or EDL) during the stance phase reduced the duration of extensor activity and promoted the onset of flexor burst activity. The contralateral step cycle also was affected by the stretch, the duration of flexor activity being shortened and extensor activity occurring earlier. Therefore, stretch of the flexor muscles during the stance phase reset the locomotor rhythm to flexion ipsilaterally and extension contralaterally. 3. Results of electrically stimulating the afferents from the TA and EDL muscles suggested that different groups of afferents were responsible for the resetting of the step cycle. Stimulation of the TA nerve reset the locomotor step cycle when the stimulus intensity was in the group II range (2-5 xT). By contrast, stimulation of the EDL nerve generated strong resetting of the step cycle in the range of 1.2-1.4 xT, where primarily the group Ia afferents from the muscle spindles would be activated. 4. Vibration of IP or EDL during stance reduced the duration of the extensor activity by similar amounts to that produced by muscle stretch or by electrical stimulation of EDL at group Ia strengths. This suggests that the group Ia afferents from IP and EDL are capable of resetting the locomotor pattern generator. Vibration of TA did not affect the locomotor rhythm. 5. Stretch of IP or electrical stimulation of TA afferents (5 xT) during the flexion phase did not change the duration of the flexor activity. Stimulation of the EDL nerve at 1.8-5 xT during flexion increased the duration of the flexor activity. In none of our preparations did we observe resetting to extension when the flexor afferents were activated during flexion. 6. We conclude that as the flexor muscles lengthen during the stance phase of gait, their spindle afferents (group Ia afferents for EDL and IP, group II afferents for TA) act to inhibit the spinal center generating extensor activity thus facilitating the initiation of swing.

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