ACTIVITY IN NEURONS OF THE BULBOSPINAL CORRELATION SYSTEM

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Abstract
When various points along the dorsal longitudinal bundle and its caudal continuation were stimulated in cats, electrical recordings showed that activity is carried the length of the cord by bulbospinal and long propriospinal fibers. From these fibers activity enters the short propriospinal nuclei at all levels, to travel a short distance as relayed impulses along the short propriospinal fibers. Both the direct impulses of the long fibers and the relayed impulses of the short fibers impinge upon the motoneurons and interneuron pools of the ventral horn. The propriospinal relay of impulses occurs at a mean distance of 3.5 cm. cephalad to the motoneurons supplied. When column volleys converge with ventral interneuron pool activity, the propriospinal relay impulses control the onset of motoneuron discharge, but if dorsal horn pools or intermediate pools are activated by dorsal root volleys, the direct column impulses assume control over motoneuron discharge. The closest parallelism holds between the discharge of motoneurons, the subliminal fringe of the motoneuron pool, and the recordable activity of intimately related interneuron pools. The propriospinal nuclei are subject to vestibular, reticular, corticospinal and primary afferent influences and thus rank with the reticular formation as correlation centers.

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