Functional organization of vestibular and visual inputs to neck and forelimb motoneurons in the frog

Abstract

1. Intracellular responses in neck and forelimb motoneurons to electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve, the optic tectum, and the optic nerve were studied in frog. 2. Stimulation of the anterior branch of the vestibular nerve typically produced EPSPs, bilaterally, in neck, shoulder (DOR), and forelimb extensor (TRI, RAD) motoneurons, and bilateral IPSPs in forelimb adductor (PED) and flexor (ULN, COR) motoneurons. 3. Latencies of PSPs recorded in neck, shoulder, and proximal extensor motoneurons (TRI) were mostly in the disynaptic range, whereas many of those recorded in distal extensor (RAD) and in adductor and flexor motoneurons involved three synapses. 4. Lesion of the vestibulospinal fibers greatly reduced the vestibular nerve-evoked field potentials in the spinal cord and the occurrence of PSPs in forelimb motoneurons. These results as well as the latency measurements suggest that the pathway linking vestibular nerve and forelimb motoneurons mainly consists of vestibulospinal fibers, though involvement of other structures for production of later PSPs could not be completely ruled out. Hemisection of the brain stem at its most caudal level showed that the pathway to the contralateral motoneurons crosses at the level of brain stem as well as in the spinal cord. 5. Stimulation of the optic tectum produced EPSPs, IPSPs, and a mixture of EPSPs and IPSPs in neck, shoulder, and forelimb motoneurons, bilaterally. Most frequently, a combination of an excitation and inhibition was observed. The pathway from the optic tectum to neck and limb motoneurons is at least dysnaptic in nature. 6. Stimulation of the optic nerve produced IPSPs and a mixture of EPSPs and IPSPs in neck and forelimb motoneurons. Impulses originating from the optic nerve descend as far as to lumbar motoneurons producing EPSP-IPSP sequences bilaterally. 7. Interaction studies suggested that the vestibular and optic pathways to neck and forelimb motoneurons are separate from each other so that the site of integration of vestibular and visual input occurs at the level of motoneurons. 8. Evidence for electronic coupling among forelimb motoneurons and electrical synaptic transmission in th pathway linking vestibular nerve and forelimb motoneurons is presented.