title: Polysynaptic pathways from hindlimb cutaneous afferent nerves to tail muscle motoneurons in unanesthetized and spinalized cats.
abstract: Postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) were recorded in 57 extensor caudae lateralis (ECL) motoneurons and 82 flexor caudae longus (FCL) motoneurons of 36 decerebrated and spinalized (L1-2) adult cats, upon electrical stimulation of hindlimb cutaneous nerves, such as the sural nerve, superior peroneus nerve, and plantar section of the tibial nerve. With low threshold stimulation (1.2-5.0 T), excitatory PSPs (EPSP, EPSP/IPSP) predominated in ECL and FCL motoneurons. In a few ECL and FCL motoneurons, however, inhibitory PSPs were observed. Increasing the stimulus intensity from 1.2 T to 5.0 T led to an increase in amplitude of the PSPs. The central latencies of the PSPs were distributed over a wide range and minimal latencies of PSPs corresponded to 3.5 and 3.8 ms in ECL and FCL motoneurons, respectively. The measurement of central latencies reveals the oligo- and polysynaptic neural pathways from hindlimb cutaneous nerves to tail muscle motoneurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tokuriki
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003655:Decerebrate State; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006614:Hindlimb; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D013623:Tail