Candidate premotor neurones of skin reflex pathways to T1 forelimb motoneurones of the cat.

This study explored the locations and input-output properties of a large population of putative premotor neurones of skin reflex pathways in the cat. These neurones, interneurones excited by forelimb skin afferents and antidromically from the T1 motor nucleus (MN) and/or the lateral funiculus (LF, C8/T1 border), termed antidromic cells, were extracellularly recorded at C6-8. Selection of this site was based on data showing that cells retrogradely HRP labelled from the T1 MN were most numerous in C6-8 and the observation that transection of LF at the C8/T1 border abolished most skin-evoked postsynaptic potentials of T1 motoneurones. Antidromic cells were located in laminae IV-V, VI and VII. The latencies of antidromic excitation ranged from 0.4 to 1.8 ms, with a tendency for laminae IV-V cells to show longer latencies than laminae VI and VII cells. Latency of skin-evoked excitation ranged from 0.6 ms (IV-V cells), 0.8 ms (VI) and 1.4 ms (VII) to greater than 5 ms. The sum of the ortho- and antidromic latencies (estimated central latency) of individual cells explained the central latencies of skin-evoked postsynaptic potentials in T1 motoneurones. Skin-evoked firing responses (average of eight to ten cells) were earliest and largest in laminae IV-V antidromic cells, and latest and smallest in lamina VII cells. The antidromic cells who received inputs from muscle afferents and descending tracts. The following three results support the suggestion that the sampled antidromic cells are mostly premotor neurones. (1) Projection to the T1 MN via LF was verified in six laminae IV-VII antidromic cells, as tested with threshold mapping for antidromic excitation. (2) Three skin-excited axons of the middle LF projected to T1 MN, as revealed by intra-axonal staining (HRP). (3) PHA-L injection in laminae I-V of C8 anterogradely labelled terminals in lamina IX and LF axons at T1. It is suggested that last-order neurones of skin reflex pathways to T1 motoneurones are widely distributed in laminae IV-VII of C6-8 and consist of a variety of neurones with different locations and input patterns.