It has been widely assumed that joint receptors contribute to the reflex regulation of movement and posture, although there have been few clear demonstrations of joint-mediated reflex actions on alpha-motoneurones other than those attributable to flexor reflex afferents. The present study extends our recent work on joint-mediated reflexes by using Fourier analysis of spike train interactions to demonstrate that restricted mechanical activation of a small number (one to five) of knee joint receptors by localized indentation of the joint capsule can modify the firing pattern of quadriceps motoneurones in decerebrated cats. The modulation of this discharge pattern can be reversibly abolished by application of droplets of lignocaine directly to the joint nerve and consequently can be attributed unambiguously to articular afferents. Activation of single joint afferents could on occasion produce changes in motor unit firing patterns, but usually activation of two or more was required before secure effects were observed. Increasing the intensity of indentation (resulting in activation of greater numbers of joint receptors) increases the strength of coupling between joint afferent input and motor unit responses, although the relationship is not linear. The relation between the discharge patterns of pairs of motor units was also examined, and it was found that significant coupling occurred at the stimulus frequency, superimposed on a 'background' coupling from unidentified sources. The phase relationship between pairs of motor units was not affected by the periodic stimulus. However, it was observed that if two motor units were firing independently of one another in the absence of capsule probing, maintained capsular indentation produced a striking synchronization between the discharges of the two motor units. These experiments show strong joint-mediated reflex effects on motor unit firing indicating that joint receptors may have an important role to play in motor control.

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				G. T. Coleman, H.-Q. Zhang, and M. J. Rowe Transmission Security for Single Kinesthetic Afferent Fibers of Joint Origin and Their Target Cuneate Neurons in the Cat J. Neurosci., April 1, 2003; 23(7): 2980 - 2992. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]