Excitatory post-synaptic potentials from single muscle spindle afferents in external intercostal motoneurones of the...

1. The discharges of muscle spindle afferents from the external intercostal muscles of anaesthetized, paralysed cats were recorded from dorsal roots in continuity. The dynamic responses, regularities of firing and conduction velocities of the afferents were measured and used to characterize the afferents as primary-like or secondary-like. 2. The synchronization of afferent discharges was investigated by the construction of cross-correlation histograms from the simultaneously recorded discharges of pairs of afferents. The discharges of primary-like afferents with high dynamic responses were found to be synchronized within a few msec. The cardiac pulse was a strong contributary factor in this synchronization. 3. Intracellular recordings were made from external intercostal motoneurones, and spike-triggered averaging was used to reveal unitary e.p.s.p.s evoked by muscle spindle afferents which were from the same spinal cord segment. Dorsal roots other than the rootlet containing the afferent were cut to prevent the synchronization of afferent discharges from affecting the averaged e.p.s.p.s. 4. For primary-like afferents the mean amplitude of the e.p.s.p.s was 171 microV and the mean connectivity (the proportion of motoneurones connected by one afferent) was between 42 and 48%. 5. The amplitudes and shapes of the e.p.s.p.s varied with the respiratory phase, usually being larger in inspiration than in expiration and sometimes also having a longer time course. In particular some e.p.s.p.s showed that components, only represent in inspiration, which were interpreted as indicating polysynaptic connexions gated by the respiratory cycle. 6. The results are discussed in comparison with the connexions of individual muscle spindle afferents from other muscles, with particular reference to the conduction velocities of the afferents.