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The Journal of Neuroscience, September 3, 2003, 23(22):8041-8050
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Are Crossed Actions of Reticulospinal and Vestibulospinal Neurons on Feline Motoneurons Mediated by the Same or Separate Commissural Neurons?
Piotr Krutki,1
Elzbieta Jankowska,1 and
Stephen A. Edgley2
1Department of Physiology, Göteborg
University, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden, and
2Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
Both reticulo- and vestibulospinal neurons coordinate the activity of
ipsilateral and contralateral limb muscles. The aim of this study was to
investigate whether their actions on contralateral motoneurons are mediated
via common interneurons. Two series of experiments were made on deeply
anesthetized cats. First, the effects of stimuli applied within the lateral
vestibular nucleus and to reticulospinal tract fibers within or close to the
medial longitudinal fascicle in the medulla were tested on midlumbar
commissural interneurons that projected to contralateral motor nuclei. EPSPs
of vestibular origin were found in 16 of 20 (80%) of the interneurons, all of
which were excited monosynaptically by reticulospinal fibers. These EPSPs were
evoked either monosynaptically or disynaptically. Second, the effects of
stimuli applied at the same two locations were tested on contralateral
motoneurons, selecting motoneurons in which large disynaptic EPSPs or IPSPs
were evoked by reticulospinal fibers. When stimuli that were too weak to evoke
any PSPs by themselves were applied together, similar EPSPs or IPSPs were
evoked in all 26 motoneurons that were tested, indicating that spatial
facilitation occurred premotoneuronally. Facilitation was strongest at those
intervals optimal for summation of monosynaptic and/or disynaptic EPSPs evoked
in commissural neurons by the earliest reticulospinal and vestibulospinal
volleys. The same interneurons thus may be used by reticulospinal and
vestibulospinal neurons to influence the activity of contralateral hindlimb
muscles. Separate modulation of commands from these two descending neuronal
systems may occur at the level of the interneurons that mediate disynaptic
excitation of commissural neurons by reticulospinal and vestibulospinal
neurons, thereby increasing their flexibility.
Key words: spinal cord; postural reactions; reticulospinal neurons; vestibulospinal neurons; commissural neurons; motoneurons
Received March 21, 2003;
revised June 26, 2003;
accepted July 16, 2003.
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