Movement-dependent after-effects in the firing of the spindle endings from the de-efferented muscles of the cat hindlimb

Abstract

The muscle spindle reactions evoked by the servo-controlled changes in the muscle length or external load were studied on the de-efferented muscles in experiments on cats under Nembutal anaesthesia. The activity of 39 primary and 10 secondary endings of the muscle spindles from four hindlimb extensor muscles: soleus, plantaris, lateral and medial heads of gastrocnemius has been recorded during servo-controlled changes in muscle length (L-control) or external load (P-control). Slow linear reciprocating (triangular) signals and their modification with fixation of the controlled parameter at the same level at forward and reverse phases were used as commands for the muscle stretcher. The steady firing rates in primary and secondary endings during fixation of muscle length or external load were shown to be strongly dependent on the direction of previous changes in these parameters. The firing rates were always higher after preceding lengthening (loading) and lower after shortening (unloading). These rate uncertainties in the steady firing of spindle endings at the same level of controlled parameter could be as much as 15-20 p.p.s. The revealed dependence of the spindle ending firing on the past history of the muscle movement was denoted as movement-dependent after-effects. Two kinds of movement-dependent after-effects in the firing of the spindle endings can be observed: (1) the movement-dependent ones being studied in the present work, and (2) those connected with the conditioning fusimotor stimulation and described elsewhere. Their common origin is supposed to be connected with the hysterical (thixotropic) properties of the intrafusal muscle fibres. Similarity of the movement-dependent after-effects in L- and P-control conditions was shown to be connected with a resemblance of the length-firing rate [F(L)] and load-firing rate [F(P)] hysterical loops registered during reciprocating movements. Both kinds of loops were in a clock-wise direction, their comparison in normalized form showed that F(L) loops were always broader than F(P) ones. Isotonic and isometric uncertainty vectors were introduced to analyse quantitatively the hysterical effects in the spindle firing and their relation to the muscle hysteresis proper. Uncertainty vectors connect the points of equal load (isotonic uncertainty vectors) and equal length (isometric uncertainty vectors) on F(L) and F(P) loops correspondingly. The projections of both uncertainty vectors onto the Y-axis give the rate uncertainty coinciding in sign for both cases, whereas their projections onto the X-axis differ in sign, being positive for isometric uncertainty vectors (the tension uncertainty) and negative for isotonic uncertainty vectors (the length uncertainty).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)