Biological Cybernetics

, Volume 31, Issue 2, pp 81–90 | Cite as

Considerations on mechanisms of focussed signal transmission in the multi-channel muscle stretch reflex system

  • U. Windhorst
Article

Abstract

This paper presents theoretical considerations on the possibility of topographically ordered signal transmission in the control system of the muscle stretch reflex. It is investigated how correlations between Ia fibres from primary muscle spindle endings in conjunction with an appropriate connectivity of Ia fibres and motoneurones enable the stretch reflex system to trace local routes through the spinal cord. The complex data processing capabilities of the motoneuronal soma-dendritic membrane system are fully taken into account, and it is argued that correlations between inputs to this system may play an important role for signal transmission through the spinal cord.

Keywords

Spinal Cord Signal Transmission Theoretical Consideration Complex Data Membrane System 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Barrett, J.N., Crill, W.E.: Influence of dendritic location and membrane properties on the effectiveness of synapses on cat motoneurones. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 239, 325–345 (1974)Google Scholar
  2. Bendat, J.S., Piersol, A.G.: Random data: analysis and measurement procedures. New York, London, Sydney, Toronto: Wiley-Interscience 1971Google Scholar
  3. Binder, M.D., Kroin, J.S., Moore, G.P., Stauffer, E.K., Stuart, D.G.: Correlation analysis of muscle spindle responses to single motor unit contractions. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 257, 325–336 (1976)Google Scholar
  4. Binder, M.D., Stuart, D.G.: Responses of Ia and spindle group II afferents to single muscle unit contractions. Proc. IUPS XIII, 76 (1977)Google Scholar
  5. Brooks, V.B., Wilson, V.J.: Localization of stretch reflexes by recurrent inhibition. Science 127, 472–473 (1958)Google Scholar
  6. Brown, A.G., Fyffe, R.E.: The morphology of group Ia afferent fibre collaterals in the spinal cord of the cat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 274, 111–127 (1978)Google Scholar
  7. Burke, R.E.: Composite nature of the monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potential. J. Neurophysiol. 30, 1114–1137 (1967)Google Scholar
  8. Burke, R.E., Strick, P.L., Kanda, K., Kim, C.C., Walmsley, B.: Anatomy of medial gastrochemius and soleus motor nuclei in cat spinal cord. J. Neurophysiol. 40, 667–680 (1977)Google Scholar
  9. Burke, R.E., Tsairis, P.: Anatomy and innervation ratios in motor units of cat gastrocnemius. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 234, 749–765 (1973)Google Scholar
  10. Calvin, W.H., Stevens, C.F.: Synaptic noise and other sources of randomness in motoneuron interspike intervals. J. Neurophysiol. 31, 574–587 (1968)Google Scholar
  11. Cohen, L.A.: Localization of stretch reflex. J. Neurophysiol. 16, 272–285 (1953)Google Scholar
  12. Cohen, L.A.: Organization of stretch reflex into two types of direct spinal arcs. J. Neurophysiol. 17, 443–453 (1954)Google Scholar
  13. Fernald, R.D.: A neuron model with spatially distributed synaptic input. Biophys. J. 11, 323–340 (1971)Google Scholar
  14. Granit, R.: The basis of motor control. London, New York: Academic Press 1970Google Scholar
  15. Harris, D.A.: Data processing in the cat motoneuron system: averaging functions and rate limitation. Kybernetik 16, 45–52 (1974)Google Scholar
  16. Homma, S., ed.: Understanding the stretch reflex. Vol. 44, Progress in brain research. Amsterdam: Elsevier 1976Google Scholar
  17. Iles, J.F.: Central terminations of muscle afferents on motoneurones in the cat spinal cord. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 262, 91–117 (1976)Google Scholar
  18. Jack, J.J.B., Redman, S.J.: An electrical description of the motoneurone, and its application to the analysis of synaptic potentials. J. Physiol. 215, 321–352 (1971)Google Scholar
  19. Kirkwood, P.A., Sears, T.A.: The synaptic connexions to intercostal motoneurones as revealed by the average common excitation potential. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 275, 103–134 (1978)Google Scholar
  20. Kuno, M., Miyahara, J.T.: Non-linear summation of unit synaptic potentials in spinal motoneurones of the cat. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 201, 465–477 (1969a)Google Scholar
  21. Kuno, M., Miyahara, J.T.: Analysis of synaptic efficacy in spinal motoneurones from “quantum” aspects. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 201, 479–493 (1969b)Google Scholar
  22. Liddell, E.G.T., Sherrington, C.S.: Reflexes in response to stretch (Myotatic reflexes). Proc. Roy. Soc. B96, 212–242 (1924)Google Scholar
  23. Malsburg, C. von der: Self-organization of orientation sensitive cells in the striate cortex. Kybernetik 14, 85–100 (1973)Google Scholar
  24. Martin, A.R.: A further study of the statistical composition of the end-plate potential. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 130, 114–122 (1955)Google Scholar
  25. Matthews, P.B.C.: Mammalian muscle receptors and their central actions. London: Arnold 1972Google Scholar
  26. Matthews, P.B.C., Stein, R.B.: The sensitivity of muscle spindle afferents to small sinusoidal changes of length. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 200, 723–743 (1969)Google Scholar
  27. Mendell, L.M., Henneman, E.: Terminals of single Ia fibers: location, density, and distribution within a pool of 300 homonymous motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 34, 171–187 (1971)Google Scholar
  28. Milgram, P., Inbar, G.F.: Distortion suppression in neuromuscular information transmission due to interchannel dispersion in muscle spindle firing thresholds. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. BME-23, 1–15 (1976)Google Scholar
  29. Moore, G.P., Perkel, D.H., Segundo, J.P.: Statistical analysis and functional interpretation of neuronal spike data. Ann. Rev. Physiol. 28, 493–522 (1966)Google Scholar
  30. Nichols, T.R., Houk, J.C.: Improvement in linearity and regulation of stiffness that results from actions of stretch reflex. J. Neurophysiol. 39, 119–142 (1976)Google Scholar
  31. Poppele, R.E., Bowman, R.J.: Quantitative description of linear behavior of mammalian muscle spindles. J. Neurophysiol. 33, 59–72 (1970)Google Scholar
  32. Poppcle, R.E., Terzuolo, C.A.: Myotatic reflex: its input-output relation. Science 159, 743–745 (1968)Google Scholar
  33. Rall, W.: Theory of physiological properties of dendrites. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 96, 1071–1092 (1962)Google Scholar
  34. Rall, W.: Theoretical significance of dendritic trees for neuronal input-output relations. In: Neural theory and modeling, pp. 73–97. Reiss, R.F., ed. Stanford: Stanford University Press 1964Google Scholar
  35. Rall, W.: Distinguishing theoretical synaptic potentials computed for different soma-dendritic distributions of synaptic input. J. Neurophysiol. 30, 1138–1168 (1967)Google Scholar
  36. Rall, W., Burke, R.E., Smith, T.G., Nelson, P.G., Frank, K.: Dendritic location of synapses and possible mechanisms for the monosynaptic EPSP in motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 30, 1169–1193 (1967)Google Scholar
  37. Robrecht, D., Meyer-Lohmann, J., Riebold, W.: Entladungscharakter von Ext. dig. long.-Spindeln in Abhängigkeit von ihrer Lage. Studia biophysica (Berl.) 23, 9–17 (1970)Google Scholar
  38. Romanes, G.J.: The motor cell columns of the lumbosacral spinal cord of the cat. J. comp. Neurol. 94, 313–363 (1951)Google Scholar
  39. Rosenthal, N.P., McKean, T.A., Roberts, W.J., Terzuolo, C.A.: Frequency analysis of stretch reflex and its main subsystems in triceps surae muscles of the cat. J. Neurophysiol. 33, 713–749 (1970)Google Scholar
  40. Rudomín, P., Burke, R.E., Núñez, R., Madrid, J., Dutton, H.: Control by presynaptic correlation: a mechanism affecting information transmission from Ia fibers to motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 38, 267–284 (1975)Google Scholar
  41. Scheibel, M.E., Scheibel, A.B.: Spinal motorneurons, interneurons and Renshaw cells. A Golgi study. Arch. Ital. Biol. 104, 328–353 (1966)Google Scholar
  42. Scott, J.G., Mendell, L.M.: Individual EPSP's produced by single triceps surae Ia afferent fibers in homonymous and heteronymous motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 39, 679–692 (1976)Google Scholar
  43. Sears, T.A., Stagg, D.: Short-term synchronization of intercostal motoneurone activity. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 263, 357–381 (1976)Google Scholar
  44. Segundo, J.P., Perkel, D.H., Wyman, H., Hegstad, H., Moore, G.P.: Input-output relations in computer-simulated nerve cells. Influence of the statistical properties, strength, number and inter-dependence of excitatory pre-synaptic terminals. Kybernetik 4, 157–171 (1968)Google Scholar
  45. Sterling, P., Kuypers, H.G.J.M.: Anatomical organization of the brachial spinal cord of the cat. I. The distribution of dorsal root fibers. Brain Res. 4, 1–15 (1967a)Google Scholar
  46. Sterling, P., Kuypers, H.G.J.M.: Anatomical organization of the brachial spinal cord of the cat. II. The motoneuron plexus. Brain Res. 4, 16–32 (1967b)Google Scholar
  47. Swett, J.E., Eldred, E.: Relation between spinal level and peripheral location of afferents in calf muscles of the cat. Amer. J. Physiol. 196, 819–823 (1959)Google Scholar
  48. Swett, J.E., Eldred, E., Buchwald, J.S.: Somatotopic cord-to-muscle relations in efferent innervation of cat gastrocnemius. Amer. J. Physiol. 219, 762–766 (1970)Google Scholar
  49. Terzuolo, C.A., Llinás, R.: Distribution of synaptic inputs in the spinal motoneurone and its functional significance. In: Muscular afferents and motor control, pp. 373–384. Granit, R., ed. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell; New York, London, Sydney: Wiley 1966Google Scholar
  50. Wigström, H.: A model of a neural network with recurrent inhibition. Kybernetik 16, 103–112 (1974)Google Scholar
  51. Windhorst, U.: Cross-correlations between discharge patterns of primary muscle spindle endings in active triceps-surae muscles of the cat. Neurosci. Lett. 5, 63–67 (1977)Google Scholar
  52. Windhorst, U.: Origin and nature of correlations in the Ia feedback pathway of the muscle control system. Biol. Cybernetics 31, 71–79 (1978)Google Scholar
  53. Windhorst, U., Meyer-Lohmann, J.: The influence of extrafusal muscle activity on discharge patterns of primary muscle spindle endings. Pflügers Arch. 372, 131–138 (1977)Google Scholar

Additional references

  1. Cullheim, S., Kellerth, J.-O.: A morphological study of the axons and recurrent axon collaterals of cat α-motoneurones supplying different hind-limb muscles. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 281, 285–299 (1978a)Google Scholar
  2. Cullheim, S., Kellerth, J.-O.: A morphological study of the axons and recurrent axon collaterals of cat α-motoneurones supplying different functional types of muscle unit. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 281, 301–313 (1978b)Google Scholar
  3. Cullheim, S., Kellerth, J.-O., Conradi, S.: Evidence for direct synaptic interconnections between cat spinal α-motoneurons via the recurrent axon collaterals: a morphological study using intracellular injection of horseradish peroidase. Brain Res 132, 1–10 (1977)Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1978

Authors and Affiliations

  • U. Windhorst
    • 1
  1. 1.Physiologisches Institut der Universität Göttingen (Lehrstuhl II)GöttingenFRG

Personalised recommendations