Actions of single sensory fibres on cat dorsal column nuclei neurones: vibratory signalling in a one-to-one linkage.

1. The synaptic linkage between single, identified sensory fibres associated with Pacinian corpuscle (P.c.) receptors and central neurones of the dorsal column nuclei was examined in decerebrate or anaesthetized cats. Paired recordings were made from individual neurones in the gracile division of the dorsal column nuclei and from the hind-limb interosseous nerve in which it is possible to identify and monitor the activity of each P.c. fibre activated when recording from the intact nerve with a platinum hook electrode. Individual P.c. fibres were activated by vibration delivered with an 0.2 mm diameter probe to the interosseous P.c. receptors. 2. Thirty-five P.c. fibre-gracile neurone pairs were isolated in which activity in the single, identified P.c. fibre evoked suprathreshold responses (mean latency +/- S.D., 10.3 +/- 1.5 ms) in the gracile neurone. A single impulse arriving over one P.c. fibre could generate pairs or triplets of output spikes from several target neurones thus revealing a potent synaptic organization within the dorsal column nuclei for the transmission and amplification of weak sensory signals. 3. The potency of the linkage for some pairs resulted in post-synaptic response levels of up to 400 impulses s-1 when a single input fibre was discharging one impulse on each vibration cycle at 200-400 Hz. 4. Gracile neurones driven by single P.c. fibres had phase-locked responses to vibration at frequencies of up to 400-500 Hz. However, the responses displayed much greater phase dispersion than those of P.c. fibres, indicating that a major component of phase dispersion in the vibration-induced responses of dorsal column nuclei neurones is attributable to the properties of the synaptic linkage between an individual fibre and the target neurone. 5. The potent actions of single, identified P.c. fibres on their target neurones are consistent with the hypothesis that phase-locked responses in dorsal column nuclei neurones to vibration at 100-400 Hz may reflect the functional domination of the target neurone's output by one or a few of its converging fibres.