Presynaptic inhibition of muscle spindle and tendon organ afferents in the mammalian spinal cord.

More than 30 years ago, Frank and Fuortes proposed that the synaptic effectiveness of muscle spindle afferents associated with spinal motoneurones could be diminished by the activation of nerves from flexor muscles. Since that time, research has focused on disclosing the mode of operation and the spinal pathways involved in this presynaptic inhibitory control. Initially, it was assumed that the same last-order interneurones mediated presynaptic inhibition of both muscle spindle and tendon organ afferent fibres. More recent evidence indicates that the synaptic effectiveness of these two groups of afferents is controlled by separate sets of GABAergic interneurones synapsing directly with the intraspinal terminals of the afferent fibres. This unique arrangement allows for selective control of the information on muscle length or muscle tension, despite the convergence of muscle spindle and tendon organ afferents on second-order interneurones.