Descending influences on receptive fields and activity of single units recorded in laminae 1,2 and 3 of cat spinal cord.

Units (108) were isolated in laminae 1,2 and 3 in segments L7-Sl of decerebrate cat spinal cord. For each unit, the size and nature of its receptive field (RF) was delineated. Then the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF) was stimulated for 1 sec with 10 or 50 Hz, 0.1 msec square waves and the response characteristics of the unit were again examined. Of the 108 units, 55 were excited or facilitated, 6 were inhibited (all in lamina 3) and 47 were unaffected. While some of the excited units responded only during the stimulus train, the majority showed prolonged excitation or facilitation lasting over one minute. The excited units were predominantly those responding to pressure or to brush, touch and pressure. Of the pressure units, 73% were excited or facilitated in contrast to only 29% of the brush/touch units. Most of the excited units showed expansion of their RFs. While many units of this type show ongoing variations of excitability and RF size, the evoked responses reported were sufficiently time-locked to the stimulus for it to be apparent that they were caused by the DLF stimulation. The unit's responses still occurred when the DLF was stimulated caudal to a complete cord transection so that the effects did not pass through the brain stem. The major effect of descending systems or of DLF stimulation previously reported on the large cells of laminae 1,4 and 5 has been inhibition. Here we report that a major descending influence on many units of laminae 1,2 and 3 is excitatory. Therefore it is suggested that a population of small interneurons in the superficial laminae could contribute to the descending inhibition of large dorsal horn neurons.