DISTRIBUTION OF VESTIBULOSPINAL SYNAPTIC INPUT TO CAT TRICEPS SURAE MOTONEURONS

We applied supramaximal, repetitive stimulation to the lateral vestibular nucleus (Deiters' nucleus, DN) at 200 Hz to evoke steady-state synaptic potentials in ipsilateral triceps surae motoneurons of the cat. The effective synaptic currents underlying these potentials were measured using a modified voltage-clamp technique. The steady-state effective synaptic currents evoked by activating DN were generally small and depolarizing (mean+/-SD 2.5+/-2.6 nA). DN stimulation generated hyperpolarizing synaptic currents in 2 of the 34 triceps motoneuron studied. The effective synaptic currents from DN tended to be larger in putative type F motoneurons than in putative type S cells (type F mean 3.0+/-3.1 nA; type S mean 1.8+/-1.0 nA). There was a statistically significant difference between the inputs to putative type FF and putative type S motoneurons (mean difference 2.8 nA, t=2.87, P<0.01). The synaptic input from DN to medial gastrocnemius motoneurons had approximately the same mean amplitude as that from homonymous Ia afferent fibers. However, the distribution of DN input with respect to putative motor unit type was the opposite of that previously reported for Ia afferent input. Thus, the synaptic input from DN might act to compress the range of recruitment thresholds within the motoneuron pool and thereby increase the gain of its input-output function.