Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1980;300:429–440. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013170

Dendritic trees and cutaneous receptive fields of adjacent spinocervical tract neurones in the cat.

A G Brown, P K Rose, P J Snow
PMCID: PMC1279363  PMID: 7381793

Abstract

1. The relationship between the dendritic trees and the receptive fields of adjacent spinocervical tract neurones were studied using the intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase in chloralose-anaesthetized, paralysed, cats. 2. Fourteen pairs of neurones were successfully stained and the receptive fields of twelve pairs were also defined. Five of the pairs were 'rostrocaudal pairs', i.e. in line within +/- 50 micrometer of each other in the rostrocaudal axis of the cord. Nine of the pairs were 'mediolateral pairs', i.e. in line within +/- 50 micrometer of each other in the mediolateral axis of the cord. 3. For twelve pairs of stained neurones, for which the receptive fields were described, a correspondence was found between the organization of their dendritic trees and their receptive fields. 4. All five rostrocaudal pairs of neurones had interdigitating dendritic trees together with overlapping receptive fields. 5. Of the seven mediolateral pairs, four had receptive fields which overlapped and interdigitating dendritic trees. The remaining three had separate receptive fields and non-interdigitating dendritic trees. 6. The results are discussed in relation to previous work on the columnar organization of the receptive fields of s.c.t. neurones and the columnar organization of hair follicle afferent fibre terminals in the spinal cord. The hypothesis is advanced that the receptive fields of most s.c.t. neurones are defined by their connexions with hair follicle afferent fibres such that along the mediolateral axis spatial separation of the dendritic trees of s.c.t. neurones is crucial for receptive field separation.

Full text

PDF
429

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brown A. G. Cutaneous axons and sensory neurones in the spinal cord. Br Med Bull. 1977 May;33(2):109–112. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a071409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brown A. G., Fyffe R. E., Noble R., Rose P. K., Snow P. J. The density, distribution and topographical organization of spinocervical tract neurones in the cat. J Physiol. 1980 Mar;300:409–428. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013169. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brown A. G., Gordon G., Kay R. H. A study of single axons in the cat's medial lemniscus. J Physiol. 1974 Jan;236(1):225–246. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1974.sp010432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown A. G., House C. R., Rose P. K., Snow P. J. The morphology of spinocervical tract neurones in the cat. J Physiol. 1976 Sep;260(3):719–738. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011540. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brown A. G., Rose P. K., Snow P. J. The morphology of hair follicle afferent fibre collaterals in the spinal cord of the cat. J Physiol. 1977 Nov;272(3):779–797. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp012073. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brown A. G., Rose P. K., Snow P. J. The morphology of spinocervical tract neurones revealed by intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase. J Physiol. 1977 Sep;270(3):747–764. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brown J. M., Leon M. A., Lightbody J. J. Isolation of a human lymphocyte mitogen from wheat germ with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine specificity. J Immunol. 1976 Nov;117(5 PT2):1976–1980. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Bryan R. N., Trevino D. L., Coulter J. D., Willis W. D. Location and somatotopic organization of the cells of origin of the spino-cervical tract. Exp Brain Res. 1973 Apr 30;17(2):177–189. doi: 10.1007/BF00235027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cervero F., Iggo A., Molony V. Responses of spinocervical tract neurones to noxious stimulation of the skin. J Physiol. 1977 May;267(2):537–558. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011825. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fedina L., Gordon G., Lundberg A. The source and mechanisms of inhibition in the lateral cervical nucleus of the cat. Brain Res. 1968 Dec;11(3):694–696. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(68)90160-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. GORDON G., JUKES M. G. DUAL ORGANIZATION OF THE EXTEROCEPTIVE COMPONENTS OF THE CAT'S GRACILE NUCLEUS. J Physiol. 1964 Sep;173:263–290. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1964.sp007456. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Graybiel A. M., Devor M. A microelectrophoretic delivery technique for use with horseradish peroxidase. Brain Res. 1974 Mar 15;68(1):167–173. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90541-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hongo T., Jankowska E., Lundberg A. Post-synaptic excitation and inhibition from primary afferents in neurones of the spinocervical tract. J Physiol. 1968 Dec;199(3):569–592. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1968.sp008669. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LUNDBERG A., OSCARSSON O. Three ascending spinal pathways in the dorsal part of the lateral funiculus. Acta Physiol Scand. 1961 Jan;51:1–16. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1961.tb02108.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. REXED B. The cytoarchitectonic organization of the spinal cord in the cat. J Comp Neurol. 1952 Jun;96(3):414–495. doi: 10.1002/cne.900960303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES