title: Somal action potential duration differs in identified primary afferents.
abstract: In the present study we examined action potentials recorded from somata in the cat L7 and S1 dorsal root ganglia. We found (i) that there is a characteristic spike duration for each receptor type (e.g. Golgi tendon organ, D-hair) and (ii) that, for a given peripheral fiber conduction velocity, somata whose axons supply low-threshold cutaneous receptors exhibit spikes with shorter durations than those innervating high-threshold cutaneous receptors. These results suggest that there may be significant differences in somal membrane composition which are specific to the physiological receptor types innervated.
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D013997:Time Factors