Summary
The properties of some receptors with afferent fibres in the cat's posterior knee joint nerve have been examined, especially those discharging tonically with the joint in intermediate positions between full flexion and extension. Some of these receptors behave like muscle spindles, and respond to manoeuvres which stretch popliteus muscle. Both in single unit and whole nerve recordings their discharge pauses during a popliteus twitch, and can be strikingly augmented by tetanic stimulation of a number of popliteus fusimotor fibres isolated from ventral root filaments. The action of succinylcholine on these receptors closely resembles its effect on popliteus spindle units with fibres sited normally in the popliteus nerve. Other units with properties suggesting origin from popliteus tendon organs were also observed; their fibres and those of the spindle units conducted at Group I velocity. It is concluded that some afferent fibres from popliteus spindles and possibly tendon organs commonly pursue an aberrant course in the posterior articular nerve of the knee joint.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Andrew, B.L.: The sensory innervation of the medial ligament of the knee joint. J Physiol (Lond) 123, 241–250 (1954)
Boyd, I.A., Davey, M.R.: Composition of Peripheral Nerves. Edinburgh: Livingstone 1968
Boyd, I.A., Roberts, T.D.M.: Proprioceptive discharges from stretch receptors in the knee joint of the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 122, 38–58 (1953)
Browne, K., Lee, J., Ring, P.A.: The sensation of passive movement at the metatarso-phalangeal joint of the great toe in man. J Physiol (Lond) 126, 448–458 (1954)
Burgess, P.R., Clark, F.J.: Characteristics of knee joint receptors in the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 203, 317–335 (1969)
Clark, F.J., Burgess, P.R.: Slowly adapting receptors in cat knee joint: can they signal joint angle? J Neurophysiol 38, 1448–1463 (1975)
Ferrell, W.R.: The discharge of mechanoreceptors in the cat knee joint at intermediate angles. J Physiol (Lond) 268, 23P-24P (1977)
Goodwin, G.M., McCloskey, D.I., Matthews, P.B.C.: The persistence of appreciable kinesthesia after paralysing joint afferents but preserving muscle afferents. Brain Res 37, 326–329 (1972)
Grigg, P., Greenspan, B.J.: Response of primate joint afferent neurons to mechanical stimulation of knee joint. J Neurophysiol 40, 1–8 (1977)
Hore, J., Preston, J.B., Durkovic, R.G., Cheney, P.D.: Responses of cortical neurons (areas 3a and 4) to ramp stretch of hindlimb muscles in the baboon. J Neurophysiol 39, 484–500 (1976)
Hunt, C.C., Mclntyre, A.K.: Characteristics of responses from receptors from the flexor longus digitorum muscle and the adjoining interosseous region of the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 153, 74–87 (1960)
Landgren, S., SilfVenius, H.: Projection to cerebral cortex of group I muscle afferents from the cat's hind limb. J Physiol (Lond) 200, 353–372 (1969)
McCloskey, D.I.: Kinesthetic sensibility. Physiol Rev 1978 (in press)
Mclntyre, A.K., Proske, U., Tracey, D. J.: Evidence for the presence of muscle spindle afferents in a knee joint nerve of the cat. Proc Aust Physiol Pharmacol Soc 8, 178P (1977)
Millar, J.: Flexion-extension sensitivity of elbow joint afferents in cat. Exp Brain Res 24, 209–214 (1975)
Mountcastle, V.B., Powell, T.P.S.: Central nervous mechanisms subserving position sense and kinesthesis. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp 105, 173–200 (1959)
Oscarsson, O., Rosén, I.: Projection to cerebral cortex of large muscle-spindle afferents in forelimb nerves of the cat. J Physiol (Lond) 169, 924–945 (1963)
Phillips, C.G., Powell, T.P.S., Wiesendanger, M.: Projection from low threshold muscle afferents of hand and forearm to area 3a of baboon's cortex. J Physiol (Lond) 217, 419–446 (1971)
Provins, K.A.: The effect of peripheral nerve block on the appreciation and execution of finger movements. J Physiol (Lond) 143, 55–67 (1958)
Rose, J.E., Mountcastle, V.B.: Touch and Kinesthesis. In: Handbook of Physiology, Neurophysiology, Vol. I. Magoun, H.W. (ed.), pp. 387–429. Washington: American Physiology Society 1959
Sherrington, C.S.: The muscular sense. In: Textbook of Physiology, Schäfer, E.A. (ed.), 2, 1002–1025. Edinburgh: Pentland 1900
Skoglund, S.: Anatomical and physiological studies of knee joint innervation in the cat. Acta Physiol Scand 36 (Suppl. 124), 1–101 (1956)
Tracey, D. J.: Characteristics of wrist joint receptors in the cat. Exp Brain Res (in press) (1979)
Yeo, P. T.: A study of some deep crural receptors in the cat. Ph. D. Thesis, Monash University 1976
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McIntyre, A.K., Proske, U. & Tracey, D.J. Afferent fibres from muscle receptors in the posterior nerve of the cat's knee joint. Exp. Brain Res. 33, 415–424 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235563
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235563