Biomaterial Database

Single medullary reticulospinal neurons exert postsynaptic inhibitory effects via inhibitory interneurons upon alpha-motoneurons innervating cat hindlimb muscles. 1989

K Takakusaki, and Y Ohta, and S Mori

Department of Physiology, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.

This study was aimed at elucidating the brainstem-spinal mechanisms of postural suppression evoked by stimulating the dorsal portion of the caudal tegmental field (DTF) in the pons. For this purpose, we first sampled a group of reticulospinal neurons located in the medial part of medullary reticular formation, which were activated orthodromically and antidromically by stimulating the DTF area and the first lumbar spinal segment, respectively (DTF-RS neurons; N = 26). These DTF-RS neurons were located within the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRGc) and projected their descending axons to the lumbar spinal cord through the ventrolateral funiculus. The postsynaptic inhibitory effects of single DTF-RS neurons upon hindlimb alpha-MNs intracellularly recorded (N = 78) were then studied with spike-triggered averaging. Twelve DTF-RS neurons evoked IPSPs in 21 hindlimb alpha-MNs. Five DTF-RS neurons exerted postsynaptic inhibitory effects upon more than one alpha-MNs. These alpha-MNs were located from L5 to S1 segments of the spinal cord. A mean latency of IPSPs which was measured from the onset of the trigger spike was 5.1 ms with time to peak of 1.8 ms, and the mean segmental delay of the IPSPs was 1.5 ms, which was measured from the onset of the descending axonal volley recorded extracellularly adjacent to alpha-MNs. Amplitudes of the IPSPs were augmented with an increase in the firing frequencies of the DTF-RS neurons, the increase being produced by iontophoretic application of glutamate. These characteristics of the IPSPs suggest that reticular effects are mediated at least by a single spinal inhibitory interneuron. These results suggest that the DTF-NRGc system participates in generalized motor inhibition.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007395	Interneurons	Most generally any NEURONS which are not motor or sensory. Interneurons may also refer to neurons whose AXONS remain within a particular brain region in contrast to projection neurons, which have axons projecting to other brain regions.	Intercalated Neurons,Intercalated Neuron,Interneuron,Neuron, Intercalated,Neurons, Intercalated
D008297	Male		Males
D008564	Membrane Potentials	The voltage differences across a membrane. For cellular membranes they are computed by subtracting the voltage measured outside the membrane from the voltage measured inside the membrane. They result from differences of inside versus outside concentration of potassium, sodium, chloride, and other ions across cells' or ORGANELLES membranes. For excitable cells, the resting membrane potentials range between -30 and -100 millivolts. Physical, chemical, or electrical stimuli can make a membrane potential more negative (hyperpolarization), or less negative (depolarization).	Resting Potentials,Transmembrane Potentials,Delta Psi,Resting Membrane Potential,Transmembrane Electrical Potential Difference,Transmembrane Potential Difference,Difference, Transmembrane Potential,Differences, Transmembrane Potential,Membrane Potential,Membrane Potential, Resting,Membrane Potentials, Resting,Potential Difference, Transmembrane,Potential Differences, Transmembrane,Potential, Membrane,Potential, Resting,Potential, Transmembrane,Potentials, Membrane,Potentials, Resting,Potentials, Transmembrane,Resting Membrane Potentials,Resting Potential,Transmembrane Potential,Transmembrane Potential Differences
D009046	Motor Neurons	Neurons which activate MUSCLE CELLS.	Neurons, Motor,Alpha Motorneurons,Motoneurons,Motor Neurons, Alpha,Neurons, Alpha Motor,Alpha Motor Neuron,Alpha Motor Neurons,Alpha Motorneuron,Motoneuron,Motor Neuron,Motor Neuron, Alpha,Motorneuron, Alpha,Motorneurons, Alpha,Neuron, Alpha Motor,Neuron, Motor
D009132	Muscles	Contractile tissue that produces movement in animals.	Muscle Tissue,Muscle,Muscle Tissues,Tissue, Muscle,Tissues, Muscle
D009431	Neural Conduction	The propagation of the NERVE IMPULSE along the nerve away from the site of an excitation stimulus.	Nerve Conduction,Conduction, Nerve,Conduction, Neural,Conductions, Nerve,Conductions, Neural,Nerve Conductions,Neural Conductions
D009433	Neural Inhibition	The function of opposing or restraining the excitation of neurons or their target excitable cells.	Inhibition, Neural
D012154	Reticular Formation	A region extending from the PONS & MEDULLA OBLONGATA through the MESENCEPHALON, characterized by a diversity of neurons of various sizes and shapes, arranged in different aggregations and enmeshed in a complicated fiber network.	Formation, Reticular,Formations, Reticular,Reticular Formations
D002415	Cats	The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801)	Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D005260	Female		Females