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A long propriospinal system with direct effect on motoneurones and on interneurones in the cat lumbosacral cord

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Summary

Stimulation of the lateral funicle was performed at different segmenta levels in the cat in order to investigate the connecxions of long propriospinal neurones with ipsilateral lumbosacral motoneurones and interneurones projecting directly to them.

In one series of experiments the propriospinal contribution was assessed from the difference between the effect of maximal stimulation in C 1 (activating supraspinal descending fibres) and in more caudal segments (activating supraspinal and propriospinal fibres). In another series on cats with chronic hemisection in C 3 pure propriospinal effects were evoked by stimulation of the thoracic spinal cord. In both series it was shown that volleys in long propriospinal neurones evoke monosynaptic EPSPs and disynaptic EPSP and/or IPSP in many flexor and extensor motoneurones; an extracellular monosynaptic focal synaptic potential was recorded in lamina VII of Rexed.

The effects evoked by stimulation of the Th 11 segment after chronic C 3 hemisection were not found after chronic Th 10 hemisection. It is therefore tentatively suggested that they were due to stimulation of long descending propriospinal neurones originating in the lower cervical and upper thoracic segments, their axon trajectory being in the middle of the lateral funiculus and conduct at velocity 100 m/sec. Other effects evoked by stimulation of Th 11 after chronic Th 10 hemisection are ascribed to antidromic activation of axons of ascending neurones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden

    E. Jankowska, A. Lundberg,  W. J. Roberts & D. Stuart

  2. Department of Physiology, College of Medicine University of Arizona, 85724, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    D. Stuart

  3. Laboratory of Neurophysiology Good Samaritan Hospital, 1015 N. W. 22nd Ave., 97210, Portland, Oregon, USA

    W. J. Roberts

Authors
  1. E. Jankowska
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  2. A. Lundberg
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  3. W. J. Roberts
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  4. D. Stuart
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Additional information

This work was supported by the Swedish Medical Research Council (project No 94). D.S. held a special research fellowship (NS-2451) from the U.S.P.H.S.

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Jankowska, E., Lundberg, A., Roberts, W.J. et al. A long propriospinal system with direct effect on motoneurones and on interneurones in the cat lumbosacral cord. Exp Brain Res 21, 169–194 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234388

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