Phrenic, intercostal and sympathetic activity related to fictive locomotor activity of limb muscles in spinal cats.
During L-DOPA induced fictive spinal locomotion co-ordinated rhythmic activities in external and internal intercostal, phrenic and sympathetic nerves were observed which were always co-ordinated with locomotor activity in forelimb and hindlimb muscle nerves. If long lasting tonic activity was induced by cutaneous nerve stimulation or asphyxia this activity was observed in limb motor nerves as well as in respiratory motor and sympathetic nerves. A slow independent activity of the phrenic and intercostal nerves or the sympathetic nerves which could be related to a normal respiratory rhythm or independent sympathetic rhythms was not observed. The findings indicate that during fictive spinal locomotion the activity of spinal rhythm generators for locomotion irradiates onto respiratory and sympathetic spinal neurones.
Schomburg
E D
ED
Institute of Physiology, University of Göttingen, Germany. eds@neuro-physiol.med.uni-goettingen.de
Steffens
H
H
Dembowsky
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D007367:Intercostal Nerves / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*