Presynaptic and post-synaptic inhibition elicited in the cat's dorsal column nuclei by mechanical stimulation of skin.

1. Primary afferent depolarization (PAD), with a time course comparable with that of the PAD following limb nerve stimulation, was produced in the cuneate nucleus by mechanical stimulation of the skin of the ipsilateral forepaw. Brushing or blowing on hairs was as effective as any other form of stimulation and there was a rapid adaptation to a sustained stimulus. Up to 55% increase in excitability was produced by blowing on hairs.2. The P-wave and the PAD produced by mechanical stimulation were at a minimum in the rostral part of the cuneate nucleus and at a maximum 2-6 mm caudal to the obex.3. The distribution of the PAD produced in the gracile nucleus by blowing on the skin of the hind foot was studied by a technique allowing measurement of excitability changes near the terminals of single fibres. Minimal values were obtained rostral to the obex and maximal values 1-4 mm caudal to the obex, a distribution matching that previously determined for single cells subject to surround inhibition.4. Post-synaptic inhibition was produced in the cuneate nucleus by gentle blowing on the ipsilateral forepaw. Up to 20% fall in excitability occurred in populations of cells tested by direct electrical stimulation. IPSPs lasting up to 160 msec were observed in single cells following light mechanical stimulation in the immediate neighbourhood of these cells' receptive fields. Blocking of antidromic invasion of single cells was occasionally produced by mechanical skin stimulation.5. It is concluded that both pre- and post-synaptic inhibition must be concerned in the phenomenon of afferent surround inhibition, though there was no evidence to indicate their relative roles, qualitatively or quantitatively.6. It is shown that up to 20% reduction in transmission through the gracile or cuneate nucleus could be produced by blowing on the ipsilateral hind paw or forepaw respectively, measured as reduction in the area of the monophasically recorded lemniscal response. A single electrical stimulus to the skin of the contralateral forepaw reduced transmission through the cuneate nucleus by less than 5%.