Summary
In cats anesthetized with halothane the influence of central stimulation upon the dynamic sensitivity of muscle spindles in the flexor digitorum longus muscle was studied. One mesencephalic and one medullary region were found which caused an increase in dynamic spindle sensitivity when stimulated electrically. Histological identification of stimulating points showed these regions to be the caudal pole of the red nucleus and the inferior olivary nucleus respectively. Lesions in the olive decreased rubral effects on the spindles, indicating that the red nucleus and the olive are parts of the same system descending to dynamic fusimotor neurones. Further evidence for this point are given in a following paper (APPELBERG 1967).
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Appelberg, B., Molander, C. A rubro-olivary pathway I. identification of a descending system for control of the dynamic sensitivity of muscle spindles. Exp Brain Res 3, 372–381 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237562
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237562