The development of functional innervation in the hind limb of the chick embryo

Abstract

1. The development of functional motor innervation was studied in the hind limb of chick embryos from Stages 25 to 43 by observing contraction of individual muscles and by recording the resultant tension when individual spinal nerves were electrically stimulated. 2. At later developmental stages (35-43) a given muscle always received functional innervation from specific spinal nerves. This pattern, with respect to the craniocaudal position of motoneurones, was similar to those described for amphibians and mammals. 3. The observed pattern was similar throughout development from the time that movement could first be elicited at Stages 27-28. There was no indication that motoneurones form initial synapses with inappropriate muscles. 4. Recordings from muscle nerves during excitation of individual spinal nerves gave results similar to the tension recordings, showing that even at early developmental stages muscle nerves did not contain substantial numbers of inappropriate axons. 5. Most limb muscles or primitive muscle masses became functionally innervated at the same time with no clearly defined proximo-distal sequence of limb innervation. 6. It appears that chick motoneurones are initially specified with respect to their peripheral destination and grow out selectively to synapse with appropriate muscles from the outset.