Coerulospinal influence on recurrent inhibition of spinal motonuclei innervating antagonistic hindleg muscles of the cat.

Abstract

The locus coeruleus's (LC's) effect on recurrent inhibition of gastrocnemius-soleus (GS) and common peroneal (CP) monosynaptic reflexes (MSRs) was demonstrated to exceed the concomitant facilitation, indicating the independency of LC's disinhibition and facilitation measures in this study. In contrast, the disinhibition effect correlated closely with the recurrently inhibited MSRs. The disinhibition phenomenon was also accompanied by progressive delay and diminution in the Renshaw cell field potential. Hence, the recovery of recurrently inhibited MSRs was probably due, in part at least, to the LC's inhibition of the related Renshaw cell activity. Furthermore, the site-specific, discordant changes in the disinhibition of GS, compared with CP MSRs, as revealed by tracking studies imply that representations of these antagonistic motonuclei may occupy different LC loci. Accordingly, the nonuniform disinhibition may be due to the activation of discrete aggregates of LC neurons which are responsible predominantly in controlling the recurrent inhibitory pathway belonging to one or the other of the antagonistic motonuclei. These findings support a differential LC inhibitory control of Renshaw cell activity, releasing the related motoneurones for the Ia synaptic transmission - a disinhibitory process that is crucial for the LC's independent control of the recurrent circuit of antagonistics extensor and flexor motoneurons.