NERVE ACTIVITY ACCOMPANYING FASCICULATION PRODUCED BY PROSTIGMIN

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Abstract
By recording from the ant. roots within the spinal canal of cats, the muscle twitchings produced by prostigmin are associated with the occurrence of antidromic impulses in the motor nerve. Both the fascicular twitches and the antidromic nerve impulses are abolished by small doses of curare. The nerve impulses arise only in the terminal portion of the nerve. They are not the result of mechanical stimulation of the nerve ending, nor are they due to the presence of sensory nerve fibers in the anterior root. Similar antidromic impulses may be observed following the intraarterial inj. of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine apparently has a stimulatory effect not only on striated muscle, but also on the terminal portions of the motor nerve as well.