Responses of primate spinothalamic tract neurons to electrical stimulation of hindlimb peripheral nerves

The responses of spinothalamic tract neurons were studied by extra- and intracellular recordings from the lumbosacral spinal cord in anesthetized rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). The neurons were identified by antidromic activation from the contralateral diencephalon. They were then classified by the mildest form of mechanical stimulation applied to the ipsilateral hindlimb. The effects of electrical stimulation of the nerve(s) supplying the receptive field were investigated. Graded electrical stimulation revealed that the threshold responses of spinothalamic tract neurons excited by weak mechanical stimuli occurred when the largest afferent fibers were activated. On the other hand, neurons that required intense mechanical stimulation for their excitation tended to have higher thresholds to electrical stimulation. Some spinothalamic tract cells were shown to receive monosynaptic excitatory connections from peripheral nerve fibers, although polysynaptic connections may generally be more important. An input from unmyelinated afferent fibers was demonstrated. It is concluded the primate spinothalamic tract neurons receive a rich convergent input from a variety of cutaneous receptors. The experiments provide some evidence for the most likely types of receptors.