Organization of neuronal systems mediating presynaptic inhibition of group II muscle afferents in the cat.

1. The organization of neuronal systems mediating presynaptic control of transmission from group II muscle afferent fibres has been investigated by comparing the sources of presynaptic inhibition of fibres terminating in different segments of the spinal cord: fibres of the semitendinosus and lateral gastrocnemius muscle nerves terminating in the sacral segments and of the tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscle nerves terminating in the midlumbar segments. 2. Two measures of presynaptic inhibition were used: depolarization of the terminals of group II fibres (detected as changes in the excitability of single fibres to electrical stimuli) and a decrease in the effectiveness of their synaptic actions (detected as a decrease in the amplitude of monosynaptic field potentials evoked by group II muscle afferents). 3. Group II muscle afferents strongly depolarized all of the group II afferent fibres, while group I muscle afferents contributed to the depolarization of only a few. The majority of fibres were as effectively depolarized by cutaneous afferents as by the most effective muscle afferents. However, the effectiveness with which afferents of different nerves depolarized group II muscle afferent fibres in the sacral and midlumbar segments differed. The most effective afferents were those of nerves that provide the main input to dorsal horn interneurones in the same region of the spinal cord. The sources of depolarization of flexor and extensor fibres terminating in the same (sacral) segments were very similar. 4. The amplitudes of field potentials evoked by group II afferents were depressed by the same types of afferent as produced depolarization of group II afferent fibres. There was also a strong correlation between the effectiveness with which afferents of a given nerve induced depolarization of single fibres and depression of field potentials in the same segments. Since group II field potentials were depressed to a greater extent (by up to 90%) than group I field potentials (by no more than 20%) concurrently recorded in the intermediate zone of midlumbar segments, it appears that transmission from group II muscle afferents may be more strongly affected by presynaptic inhibition than that from group I muscle afferents. 5. The results suggest that the interneuronal systems responsible for the presynaptic control of transmission from group II muscle afferents have topographically restricted actions and an organization appropriate to a system of negative feedback control.