Pyramidal effects in dorsal neck motoneurones of the cat

The effects of contralateral pyramidal stimulation have been investigated with intracellular recording from cat alpha-motoneurones that innervate the dorsal neck musculature. A short train of stimuli evoked three types of synaptic effects: predominant excitation or inhibition and mixed effects characterized chiefly by early excitation followed by inhibition. Latency measurements indicated a minimal disynaptic linkage for excitation and for inhibition. Splenius motoneurones received primarily excitation whereas biventer cervicis-complexus motoneurones received a more varied input characterized by mixed effects or inhibition. Following transection of the pyramid just rostral to the decussation (lower pyramidal lesion) pyramidal stimulation above the lesion still produced disynaptic excitation and longer latency (possibly trisynaptic) inhibition. Pyramidal stimulation just caudal to this transection evoked inhibition with a minimal disynaptic latency, as well as longer latency excitation. The incidence of longer latency excitation was found to be reduced in cats with corticospinal tract transections at the level of the second cervical spinal segment. No post-synaptic potentials were evoked by pyramidal stimulation rostral to a pyramidal transection at the level of the trapezoid body. It is suggested that disynaptic excitation evoked by pyramidal stimulation above the lower pyramidal lesion is mediated by medullary reticulospinal neurones possessing monosynaptic excitatory connexions with neck motoneurones. Longer latency excitation appears to be mediated by neurones that receive corticospinal tract input and are located in the spinal segments containing the neck motoneurones. Disynaptic inhibition is mediated by neurones likely to be situated between the second cervical spinal segment and the level of the lower pyramidal lesion. The results also suggest that the first neurone in the chain mediating longer latency inhibition is located in the brain stem. The differences in pyramidal synaptic input between splenius and biventer cervicis-complexus motoneurones are considered in relation to the roles these muscles may serve in head position control.