Abstract
During a respiratory period there is regular recruitment of units with different characteristics of impulse discharge in the motor nuclei of the intercostal muscles. The unit discharges terminate randomly. After bilateral deafferentation of the thoracic section the frequency of impulses of intercostal motor units (MU), the regularity of their recruitment, and the sequence of activity of expiratory and inspiratory motor nuclei were nearly normal. Hence it is concluded that segmental afferentation is not necessary for coordinated activity of the two nuclei in normal respiration.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Yu. L. Vigorov, "Comparative study of groups of intercostal motoneurons in the cat," Neirofiziologiya,2, 289–296 (1970).
V. D. Glebovskii, "Contractile characteristics of the respiratory muscles in adult and newborn animals," Fiziol. Zh. SSSR,47, 427–435 (1961).
V. D. Glebovskii, "Receptors of extension of intercostal muscles," Fiziol. Zh. SSSR,50, 1158–1168 (1964).
D. O. Kocherga, "Features of the activity of the neuromotor units of the respiratory muscles," Fiziol. Zh.,15, 591–600 (1969).
M. I. Kukkonen, "Impulse activity of receptors of the thoracic walls and their role in regulation of respiration," Fiziol. Zh. SSSR,54, 213–219 (1968).
N. S. Samardinov, "Role of spinal cord afferentiation in regulation of respiratory movements," Byull. Éksperim. Biol. Med.,54, No. 12, 14–17 (1962).
F. V. Severin, M. L. Shik, and G. N. Orlovskii, "Work of muscles and of separate motoneurons in directed locomotion," Biofizika,12, 660–668 (1967).
D. Bronk and L. Ferguson, "The nervous control of intercostal respiration," Amer. J. Physiol.,110, 700–707 (1935).
M. Corda, G. Eklund, and C. Euler, "External intercostal and phrenic alpha motor responses to changes in respiratory load," Acta Physiol. Scand.,63, 391–400 (1965).
V. Critchlow and C. Euler, "Intercostal muscle spindle activity and its gamma motor control," J. Physiol.,168, 820–847 (1963).
C. Euler and H. Fritts, "Quantitative aspects of respiratory reflexes from the lungs and chest walls of cats," Acta physiol. Scand.,57, 284–300 (1963).
L. Grimby and J. Hannerz, "Recruitment order of motor units on voluntary contraction," J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat.,31, 565–573 (1968).
E. Henneman, G. Somjen, and D. Carpenter, "Functional significance of cell size in spinal motoneurons," J. Neurophysiol.,28, 560–580 (1965).
T. A. Sears, "Electrical activity in expiratory muscles of the cat during inflation of the chest," J. Physiol.,142, 35P (1958).
T. A. Sears, "Investigation of respiratory motoneurons of the thoracic spinal cord," Progr. Brain Res.,12, 259–273 (1964).
T. A. Sears, "The slow potentials of thoracic respiratory motoneurons and their relation to breathing," J. Physiol.,175, 404–424 (1964).
T. Sumi, "The segmental reflex relations of cutaneous afferent inflow to thoracic respiratory motoneurons," J. Neurophysiol.,26, 478–493 (1963).
Additional information
Institute of Problems of Information Transmission, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 194–199, March–April, 1971.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vigorov, Y.L. Development of activity in intercostal-muscle motor nuclei in the thoracic section (intact and deafferentated) of the spinal cord. Neurophysiology 3, 147–151 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065617
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065617