The Terminal Fields of Dorsal Root Fibers in the Lumbosacral Spinal Cord of the Cat, and the Dendritic Organization of the Motor Nuclei

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the pattern of degenerating dorsal root fibers, visualized by means of the Nauta-Laidlaw technique, in the spinal gray matter of the lumbosacral segments of the cat. The pattern, especially of the terminal fields, is related to the cytoarchitectonic laminae determined with the Nissl stain, and to data on synaptic areas revealed by the use of the Golgi method. These anatomical findings have been compared in detail with electrophysiological data on the areas of termination of various muscles and cutaneous nerve fibers, and the distribution of interneurons activated by specific types of peripheral stimulation. The chapter also describes the pattern of dendrites of various motor and interneuron nuclei of the lumbosacral segments by use of the Golgi-Cox technique. The relative independence and overlap of the dendritic territories of the motor nuclei are described in the chapter, and a possible relationship between these and the synaptic linkages formed by the large, sensory fibers of muscle nerves is indicated.