Ventral root elicited depression of the dorsal root evoked response in frog motoneurons

Recurrent inhibition of the dorsal root (DR) evoked responses of frog motoneurons was studied by intracellular recording. Monosynaptic and early polysynaptic action potentials, as well as compound EPSPs initiated by a DR volley in motoneurons were depressed by an antidromic volley in motor axons. The depression had about 10 msec latency, reached maximum at 20-30 msec, and was maintained for 80 msec. The depression was associated with a slow, negative dorsal root potential (VR-DRP) of similar time course. No sign of recurrent postsynaptic inhibition of the motoneuron somata was found. Decrease in excitability of the motoneurons was also observed during the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) associated with either antidromic or direct spikes in the motoneurons. This excitability decrease was detectable at the time of recurrent depression of the DR-evoked responses. The data are explained by the assumption that two mechanisms are involved in the recurrent depression of the DR-evoked responses: the excitability decrease during the AHP in the motoneurons themselves, and the inhibition transmitted by a recurrent pathway which may depress the DR inputs to motoneurons presynaptically.