Summary
Golgi tendon organs of distal tendons of recrus muscles were traced in serial transverse sections using a light microscope and their identity confirmed with an electron microscope. One or two tendon organs were present in eight of ten muscles taken from four adult rhesus monkeys and none were present in the other two. Tendon organs were unusually small averaging 270 μm in length and 36 μm in maximum width; three of them were bifid, at one or both ends and the remainder were fusiform. Some lay wholly within tendon without direct attachment of muscle fibres and in the others the tip of a single felderstruktur (slow, non-twitch) muscle fibre entered the tendon organ capsule proximally and occupied the full width.
Nerve terminals of most tendon organs compared with those found in other muscles with similar organelles and variety of shape. In three tendon organs with inserted muscle fibres, however, terminals with regular profiles, larger aggregations of clear vesicles and fewer mitochondria were present. The latter type of terminal and the encapsulated felderstruktur muscle fibres are features shared by the large numbers of myotendinous cylinders present in extraocular muscles and it is argued that tendon organs and myotendinous cylinders might be of common origin. If this is the case, then the overwhelming majority of myotendinous cylinders suggests that tendon organs may be an aberrant development in extraocular muscles and of little significance in the total sensory output.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barker, D. (1962) The structure and distribution of muscle receptors. InSymposium on Muscle Receptors (edited byBarker, D.), pp. 227–240. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Barker, D. (1974) The morphology of muscle receptors.In Handbook of Sensory Physiology Vol. III/2. (edited byHunt, C. C.), pp. 2–190. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Binder, M. D., Kroin, J. S., Moore, G. P. andStuart, D. G. (1977) The response of Golgi tendon organs to single motor unit contractions.Journal of Physiology 271, 337–50.
Bonavolontà, A. (1956) Richerche comparative sulle espansioni nervose sensitive nei muscoli estrinseci dell'occhio dell'uomo e di altri mammiferi. 2. Gli organi musculo-tendinei di Golgi.Quaderni di Anatomia Practica 11, 151–66.
Bonavolontà, A. (1958) Ulteriori ricerche comparative sulla innervazione propriocettiva dei musculi oculo-estrinseci.Quaderni Anatomia Practica 14, 48–55.
Bridgman, C. F. (1968) The structure of tendon organs in the cat: a proposed mechanism for responding to muscle tension.Anatomical Record 162, 209–20.
Bridgman, C. F. (1970) Comparison in structure of tendon organs in the rat, cat and man.Journal of Comparative Neurology 138, 369–72.
Caiccio, G. V. (1891) Sur les plaques nerveuses finales dans les tendons des vertébrés.Archives italiennes de Biologie 14, 31–57.
Dogiel, A. S. (1906) Die Endigungen der sensiblen Nerven in den Augenmuskeln und deren Sehnen beim Menschen und den Säugetieren,Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie 68, 501–26.
Eldred, E., Bridgman, C. F., Swett, J. E. andEldred, B. (1962) Quantitative comparisons of muscle receptors of the cat's medial gastrocnemius, soleus and extensor digitorum brevis muscles. InSymposium on Muscle Receptors (edited byBarker, D.), pp. 207–213. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Golgi, C. (1880) Sui nervi dei tendini dell'uomo e di altri vertebratie di un nuovo organo nervoso terminale musculo-tendineo.Memororie della Reale Accademia della Scienze di Torini, Series II, Volume XXXII.
Hess, A. andPilar, G. (1963) Slow fibres in the extraocular muscle of the cat.Journal of Physiology 169, 780–98.
Huber, G. C. (1900) Sensory nerve terminations in the tendons of the extrinsic eye-muscles of the cat.Journal of Comparative Neurology 10, 152–8.
Hunt, C. C. (1974) The physiology of muscle receptors.In Handbook of Sensory Physiology. Vol. III/2 (edited byHunt, C. C.), pp. 191–234. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Jami, L. andPetit, J. (1976) Heterogeniety of motor units activating single Golgi tendon organs in cat leg muscles.Experimental Brain Research 24, 485–94.
Langella, M., Scala, G. andBonavolontà, O. (1975) Sulle espansioni propriocettive nei muscoli oculo-estrinseci: ricerche comparative. I. Fusi neuromuscolari ed organi tendinae del Golgi nel bufalo.Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 51, 844–8.
Marchi, V. (1882) Ueber die Terminal-organe der Nerven (Golgi's Nervenkörperchen) in den Sehnen der Augenmuskeln.Graefe's Archiv für Opthalmologie 28, 203–12.
Matthews, P. B. C. (1972)Mammalian Muscle Receptors and their Central Actions. London: Edward Arnold.
Merrillees, N. C. R. (1962) Some observations on the fine structure of a Golgi tendon organ of a rat. InSymposium on Muscle Receptors (edited byBarker, D.), pp. 199–206. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Ruskell, G. L. (1977) New and neglected nerve terminals in extrinsic eye muscles.American Journal of Optometry and Physiological Optics 54, 524–7.
Ruskell, G. L. (1978) The fine structure of innervated myotendinous cylinders in extraocular muscles of rhesus monkeys.Journal of Neurocytology 7, 693–708.
Sampaolo, C. L. (1952) Le espansioni sensitive nei muscoli oculari dell vitello.Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 28, 1305–8.
Schoultz, T. W. andSwett, J. E. (1972) The fine structure of Golgi tendon organs.Journal of Neurocytology 1, 1–26.
Schoultz, T. W. andSwett, J. E. (1974) Ultrastructural organization of the sensory fibres innervating the Golgi tendon organ.Anatomical Record 179, 147–62.
Shimizu, M. (1971) Ultrastructure of Golgi's spindle of mouse (In Japanese).Journal of the Yonago Medical Association 22, 285–96.
Sklenská, A. (1973) Die Ultrastruktur des Golgischen Sehneorgans bei der Katze.Acta anatomica 86, 205–21.
Soukup, T. andZelená, J. (1977) The number and size of Golgi tendon organs in rat muscles during postnatal development.Folia morpbologica 25, 79–82.
Swett, J. E. andSchoultz, T. W. (1975) Mechanical transduction in the Golgi tendon organ: A hypothesis.Archives italiennes de Biologie 113, 374–82.
Tello, J. F. (1917) Genesis de la terminaciones nerviosas motrices y sensitavas. I. En le sistema locomotor de los vertebrados superiores. Histogenesis muscular.Trabajos del Laboratorio de investigationes biológicas de la Universidad de Madrid 15, 101–99.
Tello, J. F. (1922) Die Entstehung der motorischen und sensiblen Nervenendigungen. In dem lokomotorischen Systeme der höheren Wirbeltiere. Muskuläre Histogenese.Zeitschrift für Anatomie und Entwicklungsgeschichte 64, 348–440.
Tozer, F. M. andSherrington, C. S. (1910) Receptors and afferents of the third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerves.Proceedings of the Royal Society B82, 450–7.
Wohlfart, G. andHendrickson, K. G. (1960) Observations on the distribution, number and innervation of Golgi musculotendinous organ.Acta anatomica 41, 192–204.
Zelená, J. (1976) Sensory terminals on extrafusal muscle fibres in myotendinous regions of developing rat muscles.Journal of Neurocytology 5, 447–63.
Zelená, J. andSoukup, T. (1977) Development of Golgi tendon organs.Journal of Neurocytology 6, 171–94.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ruskell, G.L. The incidence and variety of Golgi tendon organs in extraocular muscles of the rhesus monkey. J Neurocytol 8, 639–653 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01208514
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01208514