Crossed and uncrossed synaptic actions on motoneurones of back muscles in the cat

Intracellular recording from motoneurones of back muscles was used to analyze their synaptic input. The sample included motoneurones located in Th13--L2 spinal segments, identified by their antidromic invasion following stimulation of medial, intermediate and lateral branches of the dorsal rami. The motoneurones were monosynaptically excited from lowest threshold ipsilateral afferents and from ipsilateral descending spinal tracts. Polysynaptic EPSPs and/or IPSPs were evoked in them from higher threshold ipsilateral and contralateral afferents and from descending spinal tracts, and recurrent inhibition was evoked from ipsilateral motor axon collaterals. There was no evidence of crossed disynaptic inhibition from group I afferents, or crossed recurrent inhibition of these neurones. Supplementary records from another group of neurones in Th13--L2 segments, unidentified but likely to innervate other back or abdominal muscles, showed monosynaptic and polysynaptic PSPs of the same origin, and in addition disynaptic IPSPs and disynaptic EPSPs from contralateral ventral roots. The crossed IPSPs had features of the crossed recurrent IPSPs, while the crossed EPSPs appeared to be more likely evoked by some afferents passing via the ventral roots. Generally, the input to the investigated neurones showed greatest similarities to the input to motoneurones of neck muscles and differed from that reported for tail motoneurones.