Alpha and Gamma Motor Systems

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Motoneurone Inputs

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Synaptic Differentiation on Type Identified Motoneurones

      • Lorne M. Mendell

      Pages 3-8

   3. Retrograde Effects of Target on Motoneurones and Muscle Afferents

      • John B. Munson

      Pages 9-13

   4. Effective Synaptic Currents Generated in Cat Spinal Motoneurones by Activating Descending and Peripheral Afferent Fibres

      • Marc D. Binder, Randall K. Powers

      Pages 14-22

   5. Afferent, Propriospinal and Descending Control of Lumbar Motoneurones in the Neonatal Rat

      • Aharony Lev-Tov

      Pages 23-28

   6. Modulation of Transmission in Reflex Pathways of Trigeminal Motoneurones

      • Kwabena Appenteng, John C. Curtis, Paul Grimwood, Ming-Yuan Min, Hsiu-Wen Yang

      Pages 29-36

   7. Critique of Papers on Motoneurone Inputs

      • Michael J. O’Donovan

      Pages 37-41

   8. Quantitative Analysis of Motoneurone Firing Rate Modulation in Response to Simulated Repetitive Synaptic Input

      • Randall K. Powers, Marc D. Binder

      Pages 42-44

   9. The Effect of Temperature on Chemical Synaptic Transmission to Spinal Motoneurones in the Frog

      • H. P. Clamann, A. E. Dityatev

      Pages 45-47

   10. The Roles of Central Cholinergic and Electrical Synapses made by Spinal Motoneurones in Xenopus Embryos

       • Ray Perrins

       Pages 48-50

   11. Synaptic Loss from Axotomised α- and γ-Motoneurones

       • I. P. Johnson, Y. S. Simaika, T. A. Sears

       Pages 51-53

   12. Synaptic Remodelling During the Postnatal Differentiation of Peroneal Motoneurones in Kittens

       • M. Simon, J. Destombes, G. Horcholle-Bossavit, D. Thiesson

       Pages 54-56

   13. Physiology and Morphology of the Neuronal Circuits of Jaw Reflexes in Cats

       • A. Yoshida, Y. C. Bae, Y. Shigenaga, B. J. Sessle

       Pages 57-59

   14. Central Terminations of Intra-Axonally Labelled Jaw-Elevator Muscle Spindle Afferents in the Rat

       • Revers Donga, Dean Dessem

       Pages 60-62

3. Motor Unit Recruitment

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63

      PDF

   2. The “Size Principle” of Human α-Motoneurones

      • Friedemann Awiszus, Helmut Feistner

      Pages 65-70

   3. Are there Important Exceptions to the Size Principle of α-Motoneurone Recruitment?

      • Timothy C. Cope, Brian D. Clark

      Pages 71-78

   4. Plasticity of Motoneurone Recruitment Order in the Flexion Reflex Following Spinal Cord Transection

      • Russell G. Durkovic

      Pages 79-84

   5. Hysteresis in Recurrent Inhibition and Proprioceptive Feedback: Do they Compensate for Hysteresis of Motor Units?

      • U. Windhorst

      Pages 85-91

The Sherrington School of Physiology at St. Thomas' Hospital provided a natural venue for four days of enthusiastic debate on Sherrington's Final Common Path -the alpha motoneurone and related matters; Sherrington himself held a lecturership at St. Thomas' just over a century ago. The occasion was a happy one. Most participants already knew each other, the topics were familiar, the discussion was vigorous and critical but without personal rancor. The program had set out to encourage debate with 'critiques' both of the oral papers and the posters; their inclusion in the present volume helps to show where we are standing on rock rather than sand. In spite of a venerable history some surprisingly simple matters remain controversial, such as the information content of the signals from the Golgi tendon organs. To those working on alpha and gamma motoneurones and their control this volume provides an essential up-dating. Classical problems continue to be attacked on a broad front; advance is steady and continuous, a swelling tide rather than a sudden view of the summit. But in some sectors the difficulties are so great that to the outsider little might seem to change, the same battles continuing; but even here, the terms of debate change and concensus develops. Other branches of biology claim breakthrough upon breakthrough from the routine application of the new technologies, so we have to be the first to ask whether our classical approach to science can still be justified.

• development
• muscle
• physiology
• receptor
• research
• spinal cord

• Sherrington School of Physiology, UMDS, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, England

  Anthony Taylor, Rade Durbaba

• Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland

  Margaret H. Gladden

Policies and ethics