Response of oculomotor neurons to eye muscle stretch.

Neurons within the ventral portion of the oculomotor nucleus respond to stretch of extraocular muscles. Response latencies range from 30 to 170 ms. Antidromically identified extraocular motoneurons with this input have slowly conducting axons in the range of 30 to 50 m/s. Only responses to stretch of muscles other than those innervated by these motoneurons were recorded. Responses to stretch of several muscles from both eyes are common.