Summary
The influence of group II muscle afferents on ipsilateral gamma motoneurons supplying the triceps surae were investigated in decerebrate cats. A new technique of isolating functionally single gamma efferents in intact ventral root filaments was applied. Of 30 gamma efferents exhibiting a resting discharge, two thirds were markedly facilitated by electrical stimulation of group II fibres running in the nerve to the triceps surae (GS). The predominant effect of group II fibres of the deep peroneal (DP) nerve was inhibition. Stimulation of the nerve to the posterior biceps-semi-tendinosus (PBST) muscle was ineffective within the group I range but resulted in a strong fusimotor facilitation when the stimulus strength exceeded the group I level (12 out of 15 cells). Some functional aspects of the described fusimotor reflexes and some implications of the involvement of secondary muscle spindle afferents are discussed.
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Noth, J. (1981). Autogenetic and antagonistic group II effects on extensor gamma motoneurons of the decerebrate cat. In: Taylor, A., Prochazka, A. (eds) Muscle Receptors and Movement. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06022-1_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06022-1_21
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-06024-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-06022-1
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