Summary
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1.
Mechanoreceptors in the footpad and in the hairy skin of the cat's fore- and hindlimbs were stimulated adequately. Evoked activity was recorded extracellularly, using averaging techniques, from 149 cells of the lateral reticular nucleus, LRN, and from 40 axons of its major spinal afferent tract, the bVFRT of Lundberg and Oscarsson (1962).
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2.
For both LRN cells and bVFRT axons the responses usually consisted of rather complex patterns of excitation and inhibition.
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3.
The following features were common for LRN cells and bVFRT axons:
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a)
Most units showed a convergence from different types of receptors in one limb.
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b)
Most units displayed a wide receptive field, comprising often both fore- and hind hindlimbs. However, receptors in forelimb usually proved more effective than those in hind limb; hairy skin receptors were more effective in distal than in proximal parts of the limb.
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4.
Although the latency histograms for both excitatory and inhibitory responses to mechanical stimulation of forelimb pad receptors display wide distributions, early peaks occur in the latency range of 10–14 ms. Distinct excitatory and inhibitory responses were observed as early as 8 ms.
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5.
Responses from mechanoreceptors were found to be much weaker in normal cats under nitrous oxide anaesthesia than in decerebrabe cats with the pyramidal tracts spared. This suggests an important control via descending pathways of the peripheral afferent input to the spino-reticulo-cerebellar paths.
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Abbreviations
- LRN:
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lateral reticular nucleus
- bVFRT:
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bilateral ventral flexor reflex tract
- FRA:
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flexor reflex afferents
References
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Rosén, I., Scheid, P. Responses in the spino-reticulo-cerebellar pathway to stimulation of cutaneous mechanoreceptors. Exp Brain Res 18, 268–278 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234597
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234597