Effects of NH4+ on reflexes in cat spinal cord.

1. In deeply barbiturate-anesthetized animals. NH4+ decreases spinal excitatory synaptic transmission by neuronal depolarization and subsequent block of conduction of action potentials into presynaptic terminals of low-threshold (presumably Ia-) afferents. Because barbiturates by themselves depress excitatory synaptic transmission and may have modified the effects of NH4+, this study examines the effect of NH4+ on excitatory synaptic transmission in the unanesthetized animal. 2. The effects of NH4+ on monosynaptic and polysynaptic excitatory reflexes as well as di- and polysynaptic inhibition were investigated in the spinal cord of the decerebrate and unanesthetized cat in vivo. 3. The monosynaptic excitatory reflex (MSR) elicited by muscle nerve stimulation and polysynaptic excitatory reflexes elicited by muscle (MSR-PSR) or cutaneous nerve stimulation (Cut-PSR) were recorded from the ventral roots L7 or S1. The P-wave was recorded from the cord dorsum. Di- and polysynaptic inhibition was elicited by muscle nerve stimulation and measured as decrease of the MSR. 4. Intravenous infusion of ammonium acetate (AA) decreased MSR and the monosynaptic motoneuron pool excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) recorded from the ventral root (VR-EPSP). Decrease of MSR and VR-EPSP was accompanied by an increase of the intraspinal conduction time in presynaptic terminals. The maximal decrease of the MSR was preceded by a period of transient increase of the MSR and reflex discharges from previously subthreshold VR-EPSPs. 5. The effects of NH4+ on MSR and VR-EPSP are consistent with those in barbiturate-anesthetized animals and suggest that NH4+ also decreases monosynaptic excitation in unanesthetized animals by depolarization and subsequent conduction block for action potentials in presynaptic terminals. 6. Decrease of the MSR was accompanied by a decrease of the P-wave, indicating that NH4+ simultaneously decreases mono- and oligosynaptic excitatory synaptic transmission as well as presynaptic inhibition. 7. Decrease of the MSR was accompanied by increases of MSR-PSR and Cut-PSR and decreases of di- and polysynaptic postsynaptic inhibition. 8. The neuronal circuits underlying MSR-PSR and Cut-PSR include presynaptic inhibition of group I and II afferents as well as postsynaptic inhibition of motoneurons. It is suggested that increases of MSR-PSR and Cut-PSR are contributed to by decreases of pre- and postsynaptic inhibition and neuronal depolarization by NH4+. These effects increase afferent input to motoneurons, permit uncontrolled discharge of motoneurons, and initiate reflex discharges by previously subthreshold excitatory postsynaptic potentials.